Text marketing platforms like SlickText offer businesses ways to engage with their audience. However, industries that handle protected health information (PHI), such as healthcare, must ensure HIPAA compliance. Based on the available information, SlickText may not be HIPAA compliant.
What is SlickText?
SlickText is a text marketing platform that enables businesses to send SMS messages to their customers. Businesses can :
- Manage contact lists
- Schedule personalized text messages
- Track campaign performance.
SlickText provides a tool for reaching customers directly on their mobile devices, making it a popular choice for businesses looking to leverage the high open and response rates of text messages.
SlickText's security features
SlickText state that they prioritize data security and implement various measures to protect user information, including:
- Encryption protocols to secure data transmission and storage.
- Use of secure servers to safeguard data from unauthorized access.
- Compliance with industry regulations, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
Is SlickText a business associate?
Under HIPAA, a business associate is any entity that handles PHI on behalf of a covered entity (such as healthcare providers). Whether SlickText qualifies as a business associate depends on the extent of access to PHI and the nature of the services they provide. While SlickText primarily serves as a text marketing platform, determining their business associate status would require a thorough evaluation of their involvement with PHI. Healthcare organizations should assess the level of interaction between SlickText and PHI to determine whether a business associate relationship exists.
Related: How to know if you're a business associate
Business associate agreement (BAA) provisions
A business associate agreement (BAA) is a contractual agreement between a covered entity (e.g., a healthcare provider) and a business associate. A BAA establishes responsibilities and safeguards for the handling of PHI, ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations. Typical provisions in a BAA include :
- Data security measures
- Privacy protections
- Breach notification requirements
- The permitted uses and disclosures of PHI.
The BAA outlines the respective obligations of the covered entity and the business associate in protecting PHI and establishes a framework for maintaining compliance with HIPAA requirements.
Related: Business associate agreement provisions
SlickText and the BAA
Based on the available information on their website, SlickText does not explicitly mention offering a BAA. However, healthcare organizations or entities requiring HIPAA compliant text messaging should contact SlickText's support team directly to inquire about the availability of a BAA or similar contractual agreements.
Is SlickText HIPAA compliant?
SlickText has various security measures in place to protect user data. However, there is no explicit mention on their website about HIPAA compliance. Additionally, they do not appear to offer their users a BAA.
Conclusion: SlickText may not be HIPAA compliant.
Liyanda Tembani
