HIPAA Compliance and Secure Text Messaging for Healthcare

Many healthcare providers tend to communicate with their colleagues and patients via text messaging. It’s fast, simple, and convenient. But with the confidentiality of patient data in the picture, those messages need to follow the requirements of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). That’s where secure text messaging for healthcare comes in, protecting sensitive information while still allowing quick, effective communication. 

What Is HIPAA-Compliant Texting?

HIPAA-compliant text messaging is essentially how healthcare providers, insurance companies, and other institutions that carry protected health information (PHI) share sensitive data in accordance with HIPAA rules and regulations. To make sure that your organization follows HIPAA messaging guidelines, there are a variety of apps and solutions you can choose from to maintain industry standards and protect the integrity of PHI.

HIPAA-compliant patient texting—such as SMS reminders for appointments or even mass texts for public health warnings—is normally encrypted on a secure server that carries the data locally. This keeps mobile phone networks from holding a copy.

What Are the HIPAA Requirements for SMS Messaging?

Healthcare organizations often deal with the risk of critical information being compromised or misused by unauthorized individuals. Having said that, practitioners need to apply security controls and practice secure healthcare messaging when it comes to digital PHI. This includes educating employees about HIPAA guidelines as well as the dangers of data breaches. Some of those main regulations include:

• Settings procedures regarding who can access patient health information and how they can use that information

• Running risk assessments on a periodic basis to detect and handle threats that can compromise the integrity of sensitive data

• Having encryption and data protection in mobile devices before accessing PHI

• Not storing PHI in mobile devices that belong to employees or subcontractors

• Deleting all PHI remotely if a mobile device is lost, stolen, given away, or disposed of, all PHI stored on it should be deleted remotely

• Organizations can share PHI with a patient as long as the patient is aware of the risks that come with unauthorized disclosure

• Having a function that logs off after a certain period of idle time (for software that contains PHI, including a secure SMS platform)

• Only giving PHI access to those with a unique and trackable user ID

The Importance of HIPAA-Compliant Messaging in Healthcare

There’s no denying the benefits of SMS messaging. However, it’s also important to be aware of the HIPAA violation risks that may be involved. Texting normally leaves a digital footprint for the messages that go around. This includes everything from day and time to context.

In the case of messages containing PHI, being HIPAA-compliant prevents data breaches and even identity theft. This only goes to show how critical it is to take HIPAA SMS measures.

Benefits of Secure Texting for Healthcare

Besides being mandatory, HIPAA-compliant healthcare texting allows for a modern patient experience through secure, convenient, and real-time communication. Here are some benefits of HIPAA compliance when it comes to SMS messaging.

Secure Information

By using HIPAA-compliant solutions to connect with your patients and associates, any piece of information you share will be transmitted and stored safely.

No Violation Fees

Not following HIPAA regulations can result in hefty penalties. With secure patient text messaging, you won’t have to worry about any violation fees.

Less Need for Phone Calls

Secure texting in healthcare can help reduce a great deal of time on outgoing calls. This allows providers to allocate more time for incoming calls, directing patients to the care they need, and carrying out insurance verification. An SMS alert, for instance, is a much more convenient way to let a patient know that their test results are out.

Easier to Schedule Appointments

As people spend a considerable portion of their time on their phones, self-scheduling is becoming a more common option for making appointments. It’s a win-win situation, considering how effortless it can be for both parties involved. With SMS platforms, healthcare providers can even send automated HIPAA-compliant appointment reminders.

Integration With Internal Systems

With a smooth and secure flow of information going in and out of your practice management system, all patient data will be accessible on one platform.

Increased Patient Engagement

Thanks to its higher click-through rate, SMS messaging is proven to reign supreme over other modes of communication. This translates into higher patient engagement when it comes to two-way SMS messaging, especially when the patients know that their information is secure.

Best Practices for Using HIPAA-Compliant Secure Messaging

Legal guidelines can be intimidating, and you’ll need to be extra careful with patient information. However, sticking to a set of best practices often goes a long way towards being HIPAA-compliant.

Defining an Authorization Hierarchy

Establishing a clear authorization hierarchy helps determine which personnel can access specific types of patient information—and for how long. This minimizes the risk of unauthorized access by aligning data access with job roles and responsibilities. Regular audits can then be used to access patterns match this hierarchy and to flag any anomalies.

Getting Consent from Patients

Before initiating SMS patient communication, it’s always important to get their consent in formal writing. This document should let them know the kind of data they will be receiving and that it's their duty to prevent the information from reaching unauthorized individuals.

Making Sure the Devices Are Secure

Keeping professional messages separate from personal ones is crucial if you’re texting in healthcare. This means securing work-related messages that carry PHI with strong password authentication. The only way to access the messages should be via a HIPAA-compliant SMS messaging service.

Keeping PHI out of Screen Notifications

HIPAA-compliant text messaging apps will make sure to hide the text preview whenever an SMS that contains PHI is received—only the sender of the SMS will be visible. To view the contents of the message, the user would have to unlock their device via a PIN, password, or face recognition.

Encrypting Messages in Transit and Storage

Besides encrypting your SMS messages that are in transit, secure SMS platforms will also encode any proprietary information you have on your device, including stored messages. This prevents data leakage should your phone ever go missing.

Enabling Two-Factor Authentication

A two-factor authentication service essentially allows you to verify a user’s identity and make sure they have the clearance to access sensitive data. Since passwords alone can be prone to security breaches, 2FA serves as an additional layer of protection. You can set a 2FA for new patients, confirming their phone numbers and email addresses.

Integrating Audits

Your healthcare practice will need to go through HIPAA audits in order to assess how PHI is handled across all systems and processes. A HIPAA-compliant SMS solution will automatically audit and log any administrator activity that has to do with users, protocols, passwordless authentication, and viewing message receipts.