Healthcare organizations must use HIPAA compliant texting solutions to improve workflows, safeguard protected health information (PHI), and prevent costly data breaches.
What is HIPAA compliant texting?
HIPAA compliant text messaging are secure platforms that meet the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements. These platforms use advanced security measures like encryption and access controls to safeguard patients’ PHI during transmission and at rest.
While standard text messages are vulnerable to unauthorized access and potential data breaches, HIPAA compliant texting solutions, like Paubox, mitigate the risk of data interception and possible breaches.
Ultimately, using these secure solutions helps healthcare providers avoid the consequences of non-compliance, like fines and reputational damage.
Go deeper: Consequences of a security breach
Hospital communications
A modern approach
Over time, text messaging has replaced traditional paging systems. Research published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine studied smarter hospital communication and found that traditional paging systems, while reliable, are limited in scope and functionality.
On the other hand, HIPAA compliant texting allows two-way communication, eliminating the delays caused by callbacks and fragmented exchanges.
Additionally, “Smartphone-based, HIPAA compliant [texts] improve provider perception of in-hospital communication while providing the information security that paging and commercial cellular networks do not.”
Real-time collaboration
With features like instant messaging, multimedia sharing, and read receipts, secure texting can help healthcare teams collaborate more effectively. It allows providers to exchange information for better patient outcomes and quality of care.
Easy workflow integration
Providers can easily integrate HIPAA compliant texting platforms into their existing hospital workflows. These platforms can also support activities like patient rounds, discharge planning, and care coordination, allowing providers to streamline their tasks.
Improving cross-departmental communication
HIPAA compliant texting allows communication across departments and disciplines. For instance, when transferring patients between an emergency department and an intensive care unit, providers can securely exchange critical updates in real-time.
These texts also facilitate continuity of care, so healthcare teams can reduce transfer-related delays and improve patient outcomes.
Handling emergencies
Hospitals can use HIPAA compliant texting during emergencies to send urgent messages to patients and staff. Like, in the recent California wildfire emergency, where providers needed to communicate evacuation plans and safety instructions.
HIPAA compliant text messaging allowed hospitals to quickly relay important information to those affected, allowing for better coordination during the crisis.
Learn more: HIPAA compliant texting in emergency medicine
FAQs
Do hospitals need consent to text patient information?
Yes, covered entities, like hospitals, must obtain patient consent before sharing patients’ protected health information (PHI).
See also: A HIPAA consent form template that's easy to share
Can providers use personal phones for HIPAA compliant texting?
Using a personal phone can be risky unless providers use a HIPAA compliant texting solution. Paubox ensures that all text communications are encrypted and HIPAA compliant, making it safe to send patient information.
Can HIPAA compliant texts include images or attachments?
Yes, Paubox texting automatically encrypts images and attachments, protecting PHI during transmission and at rest.
Go deeper: Are multimedia messages HIPAA compliant?
