Providers can use HIPAA compliant emails for lifestyle counseling by ensuring respect and mutual interest, understanding patient illnesses, implementing measurements and goal setting, offering long-term support, and integrating structured support. Implementing these principles can improve patient-provider relationships, leading to better patient outcomes.
What is lifestyle counseling?
“It is a counseling procedure that makes sure there is a trustworthy relationship between the [patient] and the therapist and allows progress, obstacles, and disappointments to be openly discussed,” explains Samvedna Care.
Lifestyle counseling can help address:
- “Fatigue
- Excessive sleepiness or insomnia
- Sudden weight gain or loss
- Acne
- Hair loss
- Irregular periods
- Unexplainable aches and pains in the body”
A study on lifestyle counseling explains that it “is a long-term commitment based on partnership between patients and [providers]." It helps patients make sustainable changes to their lifestyle habits, like diet and exercise and often involves setting goals, tracking progress, and providing ongoing support to promote healthy behaviors.
According to this study, five categories describe this partnership:
- “Respect and mutual interest
- Understanding of illness
- Measurements and goal-setting
- Long-term support
- Structure to support counseling”
Ultimately, providers can include these categories to “help people make changes that will result in improved health.”
Incorporating HIPAA compliant emails
Email-based lifestyle counseling offers a modern, flexible approach to personal development and wellness. It allows patients to receive provider support without in-person appointments, making it easier to incorporate healthy habits into their daily lives.
More specifically, providers can use HIPAA compliant emails for personalized lifestyle counseling. HIPAA compliant emailing platforms, like Paubox, use advanced security measures, including encryption and access controls, to safeguard patients’ protected health information during transit and at rest, mitigating potential data breaches.
Tips for email-based lifestyle counseling
Respect and mutual interest
Providers can use HIPAA compliant emails to improve their counseling relationship with respect and mutual interest. Providers should reassure patients that their protected health information (PHI) will remain confidential and encourage open communication.
Additionally, providers can show interest through prompt responses and by asking thoughtful follow-up questions during counseling sessions.
Understanding of illness
Providers must be well-informed about the patient's medical history, current health status, and ongoing treatments. So, providers can tailor their HIPAA compliant emails based on patient needs and limitations. These emails also keep a detailed record of this information, helping providers offer personalized guidance.
Measurements and goal setting
HIPAA compliant emails allow patients and providers to set realistic goals. Providers can send regular email check-ins to monitor these goals, celebrate successes, and adjust treatment plans. For example, a patient may set a goal to exercise three times a week, and the provider can follow up via email to see how they are progressing to help keep patients motivated to reach their health goals.
Long-term support
HIPAA compliant emails facilitate ongoing communication, so patients receive continuous encouragement and advice. For example, if a patient has questions about their treatment plan, their provider can respond with additional guidance for continuous care even when in-person communication is not possible.
Structured support
Providers can integrate HIPAA compliant email-based counseling for a structured and holistic approach to wellness. It ensures that all aspects of a patient's health are considered and that counseling efforts are aligned with other medical care.
FAQs
Can providers send attachments with HIPAA compliant email?
Yes, HIPAA compliant emailing platforms, like Paubox, allow secure attachment transmission, ensuring that files are encrypted during transit and at rest.
Who needs to use HIPAA compliant email?
Healthcare providers, covered entities, business associates, and anyone handling PHI must use HIPAA compliant email to safeguard patient information.
Is it safe to store PHI in an email inbox?
No, storing protected health information (PHI) in email inboxes poses security risks. Providers must use a HIPAA compliant platform, like Paubox, which offers secure cloud storage designed for PHI storage.
