Intercom is a customer messaging platform that allows businesses to communicate with their customers through various channels such as chat, email, and social media.

With Intercom, organizations can offer live chat, targeted messages, help center functionality, and customer data management, tools that healthcare organizations increasingly use for patient-facing support.

Is Intercom HIPAA compliant? Yes, based on our research, Intercom can be HIPAA compliant.

 

What changed this year?

As of April 2026, our review did not identify any publicly disclosed changes to Intercom's HIPAA-related policies or BAA terms.

 

Will Intercom sign a business associate agreement (BAA)?

Yes, Intercom will sign a business associate agreement, which can be requested by contacting Intercom's support or sales team. HIPAA support is only listed under the Expert plan, the Essential and Advanced plans lack the controls and functionality needed to support the HIPAA Security Rule's administrative and technical safeguards.

 

What does the Intercom BAA cover?

The Intercom BAA covers the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI). Their trust center states, "Intercom has successfully completed a HIPAA attestation examination, which means that we now help our customers fulfill their ePHI obligations as we store and process data in a manner consistent with HIPAA standards."

Expert plan features supporting HIPAA compliance include:

  • Customizable roles and identity management for access governance
  • Single sign-on (SSO) authentication
  • Audit logs for activity monitoring
  • Data redaction capabilities for PHI within conversations

 

What does the Intercom BAA exclude?

Intercom's SMS, email, and WhatsApp channels are not HIPAA compliant by default organizations may need a compliant communication service for each channel or must obtain patient consent to continue communicating through an unsecured channel. Integrations that transmit electronic PHI, such as Salesforce, Marketo, and Zendesk, require separate BAAs with those integration providers.

Intercom does not include advanced built-in data loss prevention tools to automatically catch and redact PHI in real time, meaning the burden of preventing accidental PHI exposure in support conversations falls primarily on workforce training and internal policies.

 

Conclusion

Intercom signs a BAA and is, therefore, HIPAA compliant.

Learn more: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide

 

FAQs

What is a business associate agreement?

A business associate agreement (BAA) is a legally binding contract establishing a relationship between a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its business associates. The purpose of this agreement is to ensure the proper protection of personal health information (PHI) as required by HIPAA regulations.

 

What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets national standards for protecting the privacy and security of certain health information, known as protected health information (PHI).

HIPAA is designed to protect the privacy and security of individuals' health information and to ensure that healthcare providers and insurers can securely exchange electronic health information. Violations of HIPAA can result in fines and penalties for covered entities.

 

Who does HIPAA apply to?

HIPAA applies to covered entities, which include healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses. It also applies to business associates of these covered entities. These entities perform certain functions or activities on behalf of the covered entity.