A secure contact form is an online tool that allows users to communicate with a website or business while ensuring the confidentiality and protection of the data they submit.
Understanding secure contact forms
Unlike standard contact forms, which could expose sensitive information to unauthorized access, a secure form uses encryption tools like Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to protect the information as it travels from the user's browser to the server.
The encryption prevents potential eavesdroppers from intercepting or reading the data. In healthcare secure forms assist in handling protected health information (PHI) in a way that prevents data breaches.
The function of secure contact forms in healthcare
Secure forms allow prospective and existing patients to communicate safely and efficiently with medical providers with the assurance of the protection of their PHI. When patients have questions about potential treatments or wish to schedule appointments they can fill out these forms directly on a healthcare provider's website.
Best practices ensuring contact forms remain secure
The forms serve as part of a larger communication strategy used by providers used in conjunction with alternative methods like HIPAA compliant email and HIPAA compliant text messaging. HHS guidance provides that the Privacy Rule allows, “covered health care providers to communicate electronically, such as through e-mail, with their patients, provided they apply reasonable safeguards when doing so…For example, certain precautions may need to be taken when using e-mail to avoid unintentional disclosures…”
Best practices include:
- Always implement HTTPS for your website to ensure that data transmitted between the user's browser and the organization's server is encrypted.
- Use input validation like validating email formats to prevent malicious data submissions.
- Add CAPTCHAs to contact forms to prevent automated bots from submitting spam or malicious content.
- Limit the data collected to only the necessary information required for the specific purpose of the contact form.
- Consider using Paubox’s secure forms which are designed specifically for healthcare providers. These forms encrypt PHI while ensuring built-in HIPAA compliance and eliminating the need for tedious patient portals.
FAQs
What is a contact form?
An online tool allowing users to submit messages or inquiries to businesses or organizations.
What is HTTPS?
A secure version of HTTP that encrypts data exchanged between a user browser and a website.
What is encryption?
The process of converting data into coded format that can only be read by someone who has the key to decode it.
Kirsten Peremore
