Protect your Zoom meetings with essential security features that prevent unauthorized access and help maintain client confidentiality. These recommended settings work seamlessly with your Practice Better integration to keep your virtual sessions secure.
In this article:
- Why These Security Settings Matter
- Enabling the Waiting Room
- Setting Up Password Protection for Scheduled Meetings
- Understanding Your Personal Meeting ID
- Embedding Passwords for Easy Access
- Understanding How Settings Apply
- Additional Security Recommendations
- Troubleshooting Common Issues
Why These Security Settings Matter
When you connect Zoom to Practice Better, you're creating a secure pathway for client appointments — but that security depends on proper configuration. Without these settings enabled, anyone who obtains a Meeting ID could potentially join your sessions, creating privacy risks and possible compliance concerns. For healthcare practitioners handling protected health information, these safeguards are essential components of a HIPAA-compliant telehealth practice.
The good news? Setting up these protections takes just a few minutes and gives you peace of mind for every appointment.
💡 Remember: For HIPAA compliance, a paid Zoom plan with a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is required, along with the security configurations described in this article. A standard Zoom account isn't HIPAA-compliant by default.
Enabling the Waiting Room
The waiting room acts as a virtual lobby where participants wait until you're ready to admit them. This gives you complete control over who enters your meetings, even if someone has obtained your Meeting ID without permission.
To enable the waiting room:
- Open your browser and go to your Zoom dashboard at zoom.us/profile/setting
- Sign in with your Zoom credentials if prompted.
- Go to the Meeting tab of your Zoom settings and locate the Security heading.
- Toggle on the Waiting Room option.
- Configure your Waiting Room Options and ustomize your Waiting Room appearance to your desired specifications.
Learn more about Enabling and customizing the Zoom waiting room →
When someone enters your waiting room, you'll receive both a visual notification (the Participants icon will flash) and an optional audible alert. A pop-up window will appear, giving you the choice to admit them immediately. You can admit participants one at a time by clicking "Admit" next to their name, or click "Admit All" to let everyone in at once.
📍 Please note: For group appointments or when using the Zoom PMI, keep in mind that participants in the waiting room can see each other's names.
Setting Up Password Protection for Scheduled Meetings
Requiring a password adds an essential layer of security by ensuring only invited participants with the password can access your meetings. Zoom generates passwords automatically for new meetings, making this protection effortless to implement.
To enable password protection:
- In your Zoom dashboard, go to the Meeting tab of your Zoom settings and locate the Security heading.
- Toggle on the Meeting Passcode option.
When this setting is enabled, Zoom automatically creates a unique password for each new meeting you schedule. Practice Better includes this password in the confirmation and reminder emails sent to your clients, so they'll have everything they need to join their session.
📍 Please note: This setting only applies to new meetings going forward. Meetings already scheduled on your calendar won't automatically receive passwords. For existing appointments where you want to add password protection, you'll need to edit each meeting individually in your Zoom account.
Understanding Your Personal Meeting ID
Your Personal Meeting ID (PMI) is a permanent meeting room that stays the same across all sessions — think of it like a standing conference room with an unchanging address. While convenient for quick calls with colleagues, using your PMI for client appointments creates security and functionality challenges.
📍 Please note: For group appointments or when using the Zoom PMI, keep in mind that participants in the waiting room can see each other's names.
Why automatically generated Meeting IDs are better for Practice Better appointments:
When you schedule appointments through Practice Better, each session should use a unique, automatically generated Meeting ID rather than your PMI. This approach provides stronger security because each Meeting ID expires when the session ends. Additionally, Practice Better's AI charting assistant relies on unique Meeting IDs to correctly match session recordings with the right appointments in your calendar.
⚠️ Important: For the best experience with Practice Better's scheduling and AI features, avoid using your PMI for client appointments. Always use automatically generated Meeting IDs when booking sessions through Practice Better.
Embedding Passwords for Easy Access
Nobody wants clients stuck at a password prompt when they're ready for their appointment. Embedding passwords in meeting links creates a smooth, one-click join experience while maintaining security.
To enable embedded passwords:
- In your Zoom dashboard, go to the Meeting tab of your Zoom settings and locate the Security heading.
- Toggle on the Embed passcode in invite link for one-click join option.
With this enabled, the password is encrypted and included within the meeting link itself. When clients click the link in their Practice Better confirmation or reminder email, they join immediately without typing anything — the password works behind the scenes.
You might wonder whether embedding passwords reduces security. The answer is that it actually provides the right balance for healthcare appointments. While there's a theoretical risk if someone forwards a complete invitation to an unauthorized person, the waiting room feature we enabled earlier gives you a second checkpoint. You'll see everyone who attempts to join and can verify their identity before admitting them to the session.
✅ All set: When both password protection and embedded passwords are enabled, your clients enjoy hassle-free access while you maintain full control through the waiting room.
Understanding How Settings Apply
It's helpful to understand which security changes affect meetings already on your calendar versus only new appointments going forward.
Settings that only apply to new meetings:
When you enable Waiting Room, password requirements, or authentication settings on your main Settings page, these function as defaults for future meetings. They won't automatically update appointments already scheduled. If you want these protections on existing appointments, you'll need to edit those meetings individually in your Zoom account.
Settings that apply to all meetings:
Some changes take effect across your entire account, including previously scheduled sessions. These include in-meeting features like chat, polling, and screen sharing permissions, as well as visual customizations like waiting room branding.
Account-level locks:
If you're part of a Zoom team or organization, your account administrator may lock certain security settings. When locked, these apply to all meetings immediately and cannot be changed for individual sessions.
Additional Security Recommendations
Beyond the core settings above, these practices further strengthen your telehealth security:
Put Everyone in the Waiting Room: In the Waiting Room Options, you can control who is or isn’t automatically admitted to the meeting. Setting Everyone to go into the Waiting Room prevents participants from entering the meeting space before you're present to monitor the session. For client appointments, you want to be in the room first.
Restrict screen sharing: Set screen sharing to "Host Only" in the Meeting tab > In Meeting (Basic) settings in your Zoom dashboard. You can always grant permission during a session if a client needs to share their screen, but this prevents accidental sharing of sensitive information.
Manage recording carefully: If you record sessions, ensure recordings are stored in a HIPAA-compliant, encrypted environment and obtain explicit patient consent. For Practice Better's AI charting features to work properly, follow the platform's recording guidelines →
Lock meetings after clients arrive: Once your session has started and everyone is present, you can lock the meeting through the Participants panel. This prevents anyone new from joining, even with the correct Meeting ID and password.
Learn more about Changing security settings in a Zoom meeting →
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Client stuck in the waiting room:
Check your Participants panel — you may have missed the notification. Click "Admit" next to their name, or use "Admit All" if multiple clients are waiting for a group session.
Client prompted for a password despite embedded passwords:
This usually happens when clients try to join by entering the Meeting ID manually rather than clicking the link. Ask them to use the full meeting link from their confirmation email, which includes the embedded password. You can also copy the complete Zoom invite from Practice Better and send it directly.
Settings not appearing as described:
If certain options are grayed out or missing, your Zoom account administrator may have locked those settings at the organizational level. Contact your Practice Better team administrator for assistance.
Need more help?
You can learn more about adjusting your Zoom security settings in the Zoom Help Center. For Practice Better-specific questions, our support team is always here to help at help@practicebetter.io
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