The privacy and security rule are the two aspects of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that are concerned with the processing and storing of all protected information through the electronic medium. Email has become the most preferred forms of communication and they can be used to exchange confidential information between health care providers and others who would request access to this information.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act has stipulated various rules and regulations for the use of emails as a means of communication among health care providers and medical insurance companies.

The emails should be in compliance with the provisions stipulated in HIPAA.

Steps For HIPAA Email Compliance

– Although HIPAA was passed as a federal law in 1996 the provisions regarding emails were passed only in 2003 as Internet had changed the way communication took place between various covered entities. The rules and regulations were amended to take this important aspect into consideration and suitable safeguards and guidelines were specified for it.

– Any confidential information of patients that is available in emails should be safeguarded and protected so that no unauthorized person is able to view and access it.

– There are various specifically designed software programs that will enable organizations to encrypt any information that is sent as emails to health service providers and patients.

– It is very important that the files that are attached along with the emails are also password protected so that any unauthorized access is prevented. There are various software programs that help protect the message as well as the attachment even after it has been delivered to the concerned person.

– Encryption of web pages that are used to send emails are also advised as they will help safeguard the confidential information of patients.

– There are no specific guidelines as to how the emails are to be encrypted by HIPAA and organizations would need to make the choice based on their specific requirements.

– There are very stringent penalties if the email compliance procedures are not followed. Health care providers and other related organizations can be fined $10,000 and above for single violation of the email policy that has been specified in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

– If the offence is repeated or is found to be intentional there can also be imprisonment for individuals who failed to comply with the rules and regulations of HIPAA in this regard.

Complying with the various provisions of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act will safeguard the protected information of patients and you would be able to prevent its misuse. The medical records of patients would need to be viewed only by those who are authorized for this purpose and when an organization takes steps to protect it, this will ensure that it does not get stolen and used for fraudulent purposes. Even if the message is sent to unintended recipients it should not be viewed and use of certain software programs will ensure that it stay protected till it reaches the intended user.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA website.

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Category: Medical Business
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