A consultation summary is a detailed report provided to patients after a medical visit, summarizing key aspects such as diagnoses, treatment plans, medication instructions, and follow-up recommendations. Its purpose is to ensure patients have a clear and comprehensive understanding of their health status and the steps they need to take for ongoing care. By including specific information tailored to the individual's health needs, consultation summaries contribute to personalization, making patients feel acknowledged and cared for.
Based on a Patient Education and Counseling study, “Despite the literature’s relative silence on patient’s personalized written summaries, clinicians are well placed to recognise the importance of patients being able to understand and remember key details and outcomes of consultations.” The patient-provider relationship is the ongoing partnership between a patient and their healthcare provider, built on trust, communication, and mutual respect. As a relationship, it encourages patients to share their concerns openly and follow their provider's advice. These summaries serve as a bridge between appointments, keeping patients engaged and informed about their health journey.
Why consultation summaries need to be communicated through HIPAA compliant means
Consultation summaries present a wealth of sensitive information, including diagnoses, treatment plans, prescribed medications, personal health histories, and follow-up instructions. This data is highly valuable to malicious actors who could use it for identity theft, insurance fraud, or to illegally obtain medical services and medications. Given the potential misuse of this sensitive information, consultation summaries need to be sent through HIPAA compliant means.
HIPAA compliant communication is tailored towards protecting this information at a fundamental level. One of the main features, secure encryption, makes sure that all data is protected during transmission and storage, preventing access by these threat actors. This allows for a degree of security not afforded by regular communication channels that leave patient data open to unwanted exposure.
How to make creating consultation summaries easier
One highly effective method for creating consultation summaries that work well with HIPAA compliant email is using electronic health record (EHR) systems with built-in summary features. These systems streamline the process by automatically pulling relevant patient information from the medical record into a standardized summary template. This makes sure that details, like diagnoses, treatment plans, medication instructions, and follow-up steps, are included and accurately documented.
Once the summary is generated, it can be sent to the patient using a HIPAA compliant email. These emails use encryption to protect the content during transmission, and secure authentication methods verify the identity of both the sender and the recipient.
Healthcare providers can efficiently create and deliver comprehensive consultation summaries by integrating EHR systems with HIPAA compliant email. Overall, it improves communication so that patients have a clear understanding of their care.
Best practices to send consultation summaries
- Use of secure messaging apps: Use HIPAA compliant email platforms like Paubox. These apps offer a high level of encryption and secure login, allowing healthcare providers to send consultation summaries safely.
- Digital signatures: Utilize digital signatures for authentication and to make sure the integrity of the consultation summary.
- Temporary access links: Send consultation summaries via temporary access links that expire after a certain period.
- Document watermarking: Apply watermarks to the consultation summaries with details like patient ID, date, and "Confidential" labels. It discourages unauthorized sharing and ensures that the document is easily traceable back to the source.
- Secure document viewing: Use secure document viewing solutions that prevent downloading, printing, or forwarding of consultation summaries. Patients can view their summaries online without the risk of the document being saved or shared inappropriately.
- AI powered threat detection: Deploy AI powered threat detection systems to monitor for unusual access patterns or attempts to breach consultation summary communications. A proactive approach helps identify and mitigate potential threats early.
- Privacy screens for shared devices: Use privacy screen technology for any shared devices in healthcare facilities where consultation summaries might be accessed.
See also: Top HIPAA compliant email services
FAQs
How can one verify if an email service is HIPAA compliant?
One can verify if an email service is HIPAA compliant by ensuring it will sign a business associate agreement (BAA).
How should patient consent for email communication be obtained?
Patient consent for email communication should be obtained by explaining the risks and benefits, and then getting their written agreement.
What is the process for reporting a data breach?
The process for reporting a data breach involves notifying affected individuals, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and possibly the media, depending on the size of the breach.
Kirsten Peremore
