Taking Steps To Protect Patient Information Under HIPAA

Most of us like to have all of our information and appointments readily available. But how secure is your information? Many doctor's offices are starting to send appointment reminders and updates via cell phone text or emails.
If this is something that your office has been considering, the first thing to always remember is to not divulge any prevalent information regarding patient care or medical history. A simple text or email that includes, first name of the patient, date and time of appointment and the practice name is sufficient, and may be included in the virtual reminder without jeopardizing their personal information and care.

Below are a few common misconceptions that all medical offices should be aware of to ensure their patients are covered under HIPAA

• If you are not connected to the Internet, this does not mean that all your patients' data is protected. 
• Free emails such as Gmail and Yahoo are not secure forms of correspondence. All medical offices that plan to send out appointment reminders should confirm that the Doctor has paid for a secure email provider. 
• Using personal hotspots may advertise as being secure, but they actually do not provide the minimum WPA(Wi-Fi Protected Access) protection that is required to call themselves secure.