Email is still a very important medium of communication in healthcare even with the development of new sophisticated ways of communication. However, since patient information is involved the output that is sent through email must meet the standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Noncompliance with HIPAA standards results in big penalties, and erodes patient confidence. Here in this blog, you will learn all you need to know about HIPAA compliant email communication.
What is HIPAA?
HIPAA is a federal law enacted by congress in 1996 that governs the privacy and secure release of patients’ health information also known as protected health information (PHI). Any kind of organization dealing with the PHI or personal health information have to strictly conform to the required HIPAA compliant email rules and regulation for guaranteeing the security and confidentiality of this information.
When is Email HIPAA-Compliant?
Encryption
Any email that contain PHI should be considered as protected health information and at no circumstances can they be sent/ stored in plain text. Encryption also means that even in the case the email is intercepted in the transmission process the information contained in it cannot be seen.
Access Control
Any email that contains PHI should be restricted to some employees as a means of protecting patients’ information. This means encryption and such as; Password protection and usage of Multifactor Authentication.
Audit Controls
Businesses need to have protocols that capture and track emails in an effort to identify cases where email accounts are compromised or hacked.
Steps to Ensure HIPAA-Compliant Email Communication
1. Choose a HIPAA-Compliant Email Service
It is possible to find the email service provider and many of them have add-on features that are which are HIPAA-compliance by default with the basic facilities of encryption, storage and audit.
Encrypt Emails
It is recommended to have end to end encryption for the protection of essential data during its transmission. Almost every email service provider has options for attachments as plugins for their email encryption or comes already with it.
Implement Access Controls
The email-accounts should only be usable by particular personnel. Custom and hard passwords, relevant password change, use of multiple factors in authentication.
Educate Staff
The personnel should undergo HIPAA training as frequently as possible to remind them of HIPAA rules; using secure instead of encrypted email; and recognizing phishing schemes.
Obtain Patient Consent
Explain to patients the dangers of communicating by e-mail and, if communicating about PHI, ensure their permission to send unencrypted e-mail messages.
Conclusion
It is not only the legal responsibility of implementing HIPAA compliant email communication in healthcare setting but it is the responsibility of safeguarding patient’s information. This paper gives insight on how through providing strong security measures, training, and selecting correct instruments, healthcare facilities can protect the confidential information and thereby, trust of the patients.
