Healthcare organizations have been increasingly adopting digital communication channels like email and text messaging. These channels offer convenience and flexibility for both healthcare providers and patients. When used judiciously, they can help improve the overall patient experience.
However, with the growing use of digital communication comes an increased risk of data breaches. The healthcare sector has been a prime target for cyberattacks and data breaches over the last several years, which makes compliance with the Health Insurance Accountability and Portability Act (HIPAA) all the more important.
Adherence to the framework’s guidelines for digital communication with patients puts organizations in the best possible position to safeguard sensitive patient data.
The Threats to Protect Health Information
Between 2009 and 2023, there were reports of 5,887 healthcare data breaches. In 2023 alone, 133 million medical records were exposed or impermissibly disclosed due to 725 reported data breaches.
Unauthorized access to a patient’s personal health records, known as protected health information (PHI), puts them at risk of identity theft and scams. It also damages your reputation as a trustworthy healthcare provider and takes a toll on patient satisfaction.
Worse still, these breaches result in non-compliance with the guidelines established by HIPAA. That, in turn, can trigger an onslaught of legal action and penalties against your organization.
However, these threats shouldn’t stop healthcare providers from using online channels for patient communication. Instead, you have to find ways to incorporate HIPAA compliance into your digital communications.
The Ubiquity of Digital Communication in Healthcare
Despite the risk of data breaches, phishing scams, and ransomware attacks, both patients and providers prefer digital communication channels. As an easy and comfortable way to transmit appointment reminders, lab results, care updates, and more, digital channels ensure easy and frictionless communication.
In a recent survey of 2,000 individuals who had seen their healthcare provider in the last two years, only 6% of respondents reported not using digital channels when communicating with healthcare professionals.
A staggering 77% of respondents agreed that digital communication tools support value-based care. Another 76% of respondents believed that communicating via digital channels resulted in a better patient experience. More than half of the respondents picked email as their preferred communication channel. Additionally, 44% preferred using patient portals, and 34% leaned toward SMS.
A significant fraction of respondents also preferred using WhatsApp and direct messaging on social media to connect with their providers. It’s worth noting that these platforms aren’t typically HIPAA-compliant.
The survey results tell an interesting story – digital communication drives patient engagement and satisfaction. Also, it facilitates better care coordination and delivery and improves patient outcomes. But how can you ensure HIPAA compliance while communicating with patients through digital channels? Let’s find out.
Essential Elements of HIPAA-Compliant Digital Communication
Given that patients have developed an affinity for email, patient portals, and other online channels, there’s no going back to a pre-digital era. Instead, it’s up to healthcare providers to devise ways to safeguard PHI and comply with HIPAA’s guidelines for patient privacy and security.
Here’s what HIPAA-compliant digital communication in healthcare looks like.
Secure Communication Channels
Here’s the thing – whether you’re using email, instant messaging apps, or SMS, the risk of unauthorized access to PHI is omnipresent.
For instance, if you send PHI in an email to a patient, the message passes through third-party servers, which could expose it to online threats. Also, when the message reaches the recipient’s inbox, cybercriminals could hack the end user’s device to gain access to PHI.
This highlights the need to use a HIPAA-compliant email provider. Paubox, which automatically encrypts emails at rest and during transit, ensures that both the sender and recipient use TLS encryption, allowing you to send PHI in emails without jeopardizing patient privacy.
Also, with Paubox, patients don’t have to log into a separate portal to see messages from their healthcare providers. Instead, the encrypted email lands directly in the recipient’s inbox.
Similarly, if you’re sending PHI in an SMS message, it makes sense to use a HIPAA-compliant text messaging provider. Also, it’s a good idea to sign a business associate agreement (BAA) with your email or SMS service provider to outline clear terms and conditions for disclosing PHI.
If you’re using web-based portals for patient communication, consider using SSL encryption to safeguard patient data.
But what happens when your patients prefer to communicate via channels like WhatsApp and social media DMs, where HIPAA compliance can’t be implemented? In such scenarios, it’s best to restrict your message to patient details in accordance with HIPAA’s Minimum Necessary Information rule.
MFA and Role-Based Access
Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds another layer of security to any communication channel, be it email or patient portals. You can use MFA to verify an employee’s or a patient’s identity when they try to send or access PHI through these channels. This helps maintain confidentiality and privacy, even in situations where primary login credentials are compromised.
If you’re looking to implement two-factor authentication for employees, Google Authenticator could come in handy. All you have to do is ask employees to install the app on their devices and add the required accounts. Whenever they want to access an account, they have to use the login code generated by Google Authenticator, along with their password.
On the other hand, a platform like Cisco Duo can be helpful if you want to implement other authentication methods, such as biometrics and tokens. It can be easily integrated into custom applications, making it an excellent choice for adding MFA to patient portals.
Role-based access control (RBAC) lets you take things up a notch by limiting access to PHI based on a user’s role within your organization. You can implement RBAC on various channels, including patient portals, messaging platforms, billing systems, and more.
Data Storage and Encryption
When it comes to HIPAA compliance, how you store sensitive patient information is often just as crucial as how you send it. From diagnostic reports and prescriptions to invoices and payment details, you’re responsible for storing a ton of data. Saving these files on computers or servers without adequate safeguards could compromise their safety.
If you want to prevent unauthorized access to confidential patient data, a HIPAA-compliant cloud storage solution is the best way to store such files. Besides safeguarding access to PHI, these platforms also make it easy for healthcare teams to collaborate and share information with patients.
For instance, Box’s cloud storage and file sharing platform comes with advanced security controls and intelligent threat detection. Also, the platform uses AES 256-bit encryption on every file at rest and in transit.
If you’re already using a readily available cloud storage platform like Microsoft OneDrive, you’ll have to configure it to ensure HIPAA compliance. This involves subscribing to a business or an enterprise plan that includes security features like access controls and audit logs.
Make HIPAA Compliance Ingrained Into Digital Communications
Whether you’re running a private clinic, hospital, or nursing home, embracing digital communication is crucial to enhancing the patient experience. However, you must take adequate measures to maintain patient confidentiality and privacy when sending PHI through digital channels like email, patient portals, and SMS.
Implementing measures like MFA, RBAC, and secure data storage will help you protect patient data and ensure compliance with HIPAA. Ultimately, it’ll strengthen your reputation as a healthcare provider and help improve patient satisfaction and trust.