> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://documentation.freshpaint.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://documentation.freshpaint.io/readme/short-links-and-qr-codes.md).
# Short Links and QR Codes
## Overview
Freshpaint's Short Links feature creates shortened URLs and associated QR codes within the BAA-covered Freshpaint environment, helping your organization share clean, concise links without routing potentially sensitive information through third-party services without dedicated BAAs.
### Why URL Shortening Matters for Healthcare
URLs used in patient communications frequently contain information that may constitute PHI under HIPAA, including patient identifiers in query parameters, appointment IDs, portal session tokens, care program codes, and provider or clinic location parameters. If any of those URLs pass through a third-party shortener without a BAA, that transmission may represent an unauthorized disclosure of health information.
Most commodity URL shorteners do not sign BAAs and log the full content of URLs that pass through their infrastructure. This creates compliance exposure that often goes undetected until a security audit surfaces it.
Freshpaint Short Links operates entirely within the Freshpaint platform, the same BAA-covered environment that already handles your data. No additional vendor relationships, contracts, or security reviews are required. If you have an existing BAA with Freshpaint, you're already covered.
### Common Use Cases
**Appointment reminders:** Appointment confirmation and reminder messages often include individualized portal links with patient-specific parameters. Short links let you include clean, concise URLs in SMS and email without shortening PHI-bearing URLs through a non-BAA service.
**Patient portal links:** Portal links scoped to a specific patient session can be shortened for use in outreach campaigns, care coordination messages, or discharge communications.
**Marketing campaigns:** Campaign URLs with UTM parameters, care program identifiers, or clinic-specific routing parameters can be shortened without moving that data outside your BAA boundary.
**Care operations:** Teams sending high volumes of individualized links, such as scheduling links, intake forms, or post-visit surveys, can generate short links for use at scale.
### How it Works
When you create a short link in Freshpaint, the platform generates a unique code and maps it to your destination URL. That mapping is stored within Freshpaint's secure infrastructure. When a visitor on the site clicks the short link, they are redirected to the original destination, and the redirect transaction is logged within the same protected environment.
Short links use randomly generated codes rather than encoding information from the original URL, which means the short link itself does not expose PHI even if the destination URL contains it.
All URL storage, redirect logging, and access controls are subject to your BAA with Freshpaint and align with Freshpaint's existing data retention policy.
## Create Short Links
In your Freshpaint account, navigate to "Short Links". Click "Create Short Link".
The "Create Short Link" dialog will appear.
1. Paste or type the full destination URL into the Destination URL field. This is the URL that visitors will be redirected to when they click the short link.
2. Give the short link a `Title` so you can see in the overview table what it entailed, for example “Mother’s Day Cancer Screenings” or “Flu shot campaign” – whatever keywords or details will make it easy to track your short links.
3. Select a domain to use for your short links. The default is a Freshpaint domain, but soon you will be able to introduce your own custom domains.
4. Determine how long you want to make your short links. Six characters are more visually pleasing, especially for SMS. You get more possible variations with eight characters.
5. If you want to track multiple links across topics or campaigns, use Tags to do so. For example, if you create many Flu-related links throughout the year, using a Flu tag will let you see how all Flu-related links perform over time from the Metrics overview.
6. Click Create to generate the short link.
Once created, your short link is ready to use. Copy it and paste it into email campaigns, SMS messages, or any patient-facing communication channel.
### View QR Codes
Once a short link is live, so is the corresponding QR code. Locate it within the menu on the far-right of the webpage. Select "Preview QR Code" to see and test the QR code or download it to use in marketing materials.
### Manage Available Short Links
#### Viewing Available Short Links
The [Short Links Overview page](https://app.freshpaint.io/short-links/overview) displays all links created in your account, including:
* The short link URL
* The destination URL
* Title
* Tags
* Creation date
* Total click count
#### Disable or Edit Short Links
Freshpaint makes it possible to edit and disable short links that you no longer need or want live online. To do so, locate the menu on the far-right of the webpage. Select Disable or Edit to make changes to the short link.
#### Access Controls and Audit Trails
Freshpaint maintains records of who created each short link and when. Access to the original destination URL is controlled and is not publicly exposed. If your compliance or security team needs documentation on data flows for a review, contact your Freshpaint Account Manager to request the relevant materials.
### Monitor Link Performance
#### View Click Metrics
Select any short link from the Short Links page to view its performance metrics. Available data includes total clicks over time, giving you a view into how your links are performing across campaigns and patient communications.
{% hint style="info" %}
Analytics capabilities are actively expanding. If your team needs additional metrics, such as click-through by channel, device type, or referrer, share that feedback with your account manager. Early input is shaping the analytics roadmap.
{% endhint %}
### Best practices and Reminders
* **Use short links wherever PHI may appear in URLs.** If you're unsure whether a URL contains PHI, treat it as if it does. Patient identifiers, appointment details, and portal parameters are common sources of PHI in URLs that teams often overlook.
* **Do not use third-party shorteners for PHI-bearing URLs.** Using Freshpaint's URL Shortener for patient-facing links while continuing to route some URLs through non-BAA tools creates inconsistent compliance coverage. Audit your existing workflows to identify any remaining exposure.
* S**hare feedback on what's missing.** The URL Shortener is expanding. If you need custom domains, expiration controls, bulk link creation, or deeper analytics, reach out to your account manager. Your requirements are actively informing the roadmap.