HIPAA 2020: Texting, Emailing, And Personal Devices - New Guidance
September 29, 2020 - CA USMentorhealth
mentorhealth84@gmail.com
Phone:8003851607
Overview: Professional communications involving Protected Health Information must be conducted securely, according to guidance from HHS and any reasonable Risk Analysis required by the Security Rule, so any office communications must be carefully controlled to avoid breaches of PHI. But it's not only the office staff and physicians who need to communicate, communications with patients is a key part of patient care today. As HIPAA requirements for allowing patients electronic access to their health information are now in effect, and as patients increasingly come to depend on electronic communications, there are new demands for communication via e-mail and texting, using personal devices. Patients don't want to bother with secure Web-site-based solutions, they just want to use the tools they already use for communication, and they have a right to communicate how they wish. How can HIPAA requirements for privacy and security be reconciled with patient requests for information provided by e-mail and text messages? This session will discuss the differences between professional communications and patient communications, and how they must be treated to best serve patients, most efficiently enable communications, and remain within the bounds of HIPAA compliance.