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HIPAA Email API for admission, discharge, and transfer alerts
Hoala Greevy April 18, 2019
We spoke to a prospect down in Melbourne Beach, Florida earlier this week about our Paubox Email API. They were keenly interested in integrating it with their Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) Alert workflow platform.
Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) Alerts
The Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) system supports core administrative functions in healthcare.
These are:
- Registering a patient
- Discharging a patient
- Transferring a patient
- Merging patient files to avoid duplication
ADT is part of the HL7 standard and is considered a cornerstone to improving patient care coordination.
Protected Health Information (PHI)
According to the HIPAA Privacy Rule, Protected Health Information (PHI) is defined by HHS as individually identifiable health information held or transmitted by a Covered Entity or its Business Associate.
PHI can be in any form or media:
- Electronic (email, text, patient portal, etc)
- Paper
- Oral
In a nutshell, any information that can reasonably be used to identify an individual and is used during the course of care is considered PHI.
In the case of ADT alerts, we clearly see that PHI is being constantly transmitted.
Read full article: What is Protected Health Information (PHI)?
Transactional Email
Transactional Email is a type of email sent to assist an agreed-upon interaction between a sender and recipient. In US Healthcare, this is often between a provider and a patient.
Transactional Emails may also be called “triggered” emails because they can include any email that is generated by a patient’s interaction with a patient portal, a smartphone app, or in this case, ADT alerts.
HIPAA Compliant Transactional Email
Transactional email for most businesses often doesn’t have sensitive information and can be sent without worry of encryption. But because a transactional email for ADT alerts will have protected health information (PHI), it requires email providers to be HIPAA compliant.
Because there are limited options when it comes to HIPAA compliant transactional email providers, most providers, and as a result consumers, are left out in the cold.
But by using HIPAA compliant transactional email to securely deliver ADT alert information to a patient’s inbox, healthcare providers can meaningfully increase patient engagement.
Read full article: What is HIPAA Compliant Transactional Email?
HIPAA Compliant Email for ADT Alerts
In the case of the prospect we spoke to, they were eager to integrate Paubox Email API into their ADT alert workflow.
We are looking forward to working with them.
SEE ALSO: Why Healthcare Businesses Choose the Paubox Email API
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