Who Spruce Health is best for
Spruce replaces a practice's phone lines, fax machine, texting app and video tool with one app, which Spruce describes as HIPAA-compliant, used from a phone, desktop or the web. Messages, calls, voicemails and faxes land in a shared team inbox where staff can assign conversations, leave internal notes and @page colleagues. Spruce says more than 50,000 healthcare professionals use it.
Best for
- Solo clinicians who want a separate professional number on their personal phone
- Small primary care and mental health practices
- Care teams that share an inbox for patient calls, texts and faxes
- Practices that want a BAA without negotiating a contract
Not ideal for
- Practices needing scheduling, charting or billing (Spruce is not an EHR)
- Large organizations needing native integrations with many EHRs
Spruce Health pros and cons
Pros
- Phone, two-way SMS, e-fax, secure messaging and video visits in one app
- Simple per-user pricing with no per-text, per-minute or overage charges
- BAA included automatically for eligible organizations when they sign up
- Annual SOC 2 Type II audits since 2019, per Spruce, plus a HITRUST CSF certification announced in 2018
- Month-to-month plans with a 14-day free trial and no credit card
- AI transcription and summarization of voicemails and calls on the Communicator plan
Cons
- Not an EHR; notes and messages must be moved into the chart separately or through a limited set of integrations
- IVR call flows, after-hours triage, VoIP and API access require the $49 Communicator plan
- Taxes, telecom surcharges and a one-time SMS registration fee add to the listed price
Spruce Health pricing
Spruce publishes two plans, billed monthly per user:
- Basic: $24 per user per month. Includes a BAA, medical phone, texting, video, fax, team chat, shared inbox, auto-replies and AI voicemail transcription. One line per user plus one additional line.
- Communicator: $49 per user per month. Adds self-service IVR call flows, urgent escalation and after-hours triage, integrations and API access, VoIP phone service, and AI transcription and summarization for voicemails, call recordings and audio messages. Two lines per user plus one additional line.
Plans are month-to-month and can be canceled anytime. Extra costs include a one-time $19.50 fee to enable outbound SMS, taxes and telecom surcharges passed through at cost, and VoIP desk phone hardware. Larger practices may need an annual commitment with onboarding fees.
Key features
- Phone system: professional numbers, multiple lines, call routing, phone trees and call documentation
- Two-way SMS and secure messaging with patients
- E-fax from phone or web
- Video visits from any device
- Team inbox with assignment, internal notes and @paging
- Clinical questionnaires, digital payments and workflow automation
- AI voicemail transcription and summarization
HIPAA, security and integrations
Spruce says eligible organizations automatically receive a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement as part of its terms of service, agreed electronically when the organization is created. Spruce announced HITRUST CSF certification of its platform and infrastructure in 2018 and still shows the HITRUST mark on its site. It completed its first SOC 2 Type II audit, performed by Skoda Minotti, in 2019 and says its security program is now covered by annual SOC 2 Type II audits. Spruce says SOC 2 reports are available to customers on request; ask about current HITRUST status as well.
Spruce offers an Elation Health integration that syncs demographics and selected conversations into the Elation chart, and a Spruce API with webhooks on the Communicator plan for custom integrations.
Spruce Health alternatives
- Doxy.me — free and low-cost browser video visits if you only need telehealth.
- Weave — phones, texting, reminders, reviews and payments tied to practice management software.
- Klara (ModMed Patient Engagement) — secure patient messaging and engagement for medical practices.
- VSee — telehealth video with a free tier and enterprise options.
- Zoom for Healthcare — Zoom video under a BAA for organizations already using Zoom.
