decisionhealth Newsletters, Part B News - 2013 Issue 6 (June)
New services aim to make emailing, texting among doctors, patients secure
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Article Overview
The article discusses how medical practices can approach secure email and texting in the context of HIPAA privacy and security expectations. It covers general compliance considerations, patient permission issues, mobile-device safeguards, and examples of vendor services aimed at supporting secure communication workflows. The piece is relevant to physicians, practice managers, compliance staff, and other healthcare professionals evaluating communication options with patients or within provider teams.
Why This Topic Matters
As electronic communication becomes more common in healthcare, practices need to understand the privacy and security implications before adopting email or text messaging. This article helps readers assess whether current workflows, patient agreements, device controls, and vendor services fit within broader HIPAA-oriented risk management.
Article Sections
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Patient encounters
Introduces the growing use of electronic communication between healthcare providers and patients and frames the privacy concerns discussed in the article.
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Easier encryption?
Explores one approach to securing email communication and describes a vendor service positioned for healthcare messaging.
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Patient permission
Addresses the role of patient acknowledgment and consent-related workflows when email communication is used.
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Mega-rule silent on texts but rules apply
Discusses how texting is treated under HIPAA-oriented privacy and security expectations and why risk analysis matters for mobile communication.
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Vendors offer texting solutions
Reviews vendor-provided texting tools and broader operational considerations for provider communication.
What You Will Learn
- How HIPAA privacy and security concerns affect email and text communication in healthcare
- What general safeguards are discussed for electronic communication with patients
- How patient agreements and device controls can be part of communication workflows
- What kinds of vendor tools are being marketed for secure clinical messaging
- Why texting and email raise different operational and privacy concerns in practice settings
Who Should Read This
- Physicians
- Medical practice managers
- HIPAA compliance staff
- Healthcare attorneys
- IT and security staff in healthcare organizations
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