Your Doctor can text you — if he does it right
Texting is easy. It’s why a vast majority of people who own a phone do it, and why a growing number of doctors have grown to rely on their mobile devices as a means of communication.
A recent study found that 73% of doctors text other doctors about work. This should come as no surprise. Most of us no longer take the time to write lengthy e-mails or make phone calls to our coworkers off the clock when texting can get the job done in a synch. However what differentiates doctors apart from the average person, is that a single careless text can cost them tens of thousands of dollars under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.
Your healthcare is confidential. HIPAA prohibits medical providers from sharing personal health information (PHI) with others. While most embrace and commend HIPAA for protecting patient rights, it can at times be a nuisance for doctors. Medical providers are infamous for maintaining outdated methods of sharing information. A large part of this lack of technological advancement in healthcare is due to misunderstandings about HIPAA, and a fear of violating it.
Although Congress passed HIPAA in 1996, it implemented the Security Rule in 2003 to specifically address privacy rights in the new digital age. The Security Rule defines requirements for disclosing PHI electronically. The rule of thumb since the passage of HIPAA for doctors has been to not disclose PHI — period. After all, a wrongful disclosure to individually identifiable health information can be up a up to $50,000 fine, and potentially one year jail time under HIPAA.
As a result, medical providers are stuck in the 20th century. Doctors fear violating HIPAA, and consequently maintain an archaic paper-based system to communicate with their patients. This current reality is unfortunate when considering the immense benefits texting can provide.
For one, being able to send alerts via text message to patients could significantly reduce no-shows. Most medical providers operate on a fee-for-service payment system, which is contingent on patient-volume. When a patient does not show up for their appointment, the practice loses money. It happens more often than you would think.
Texting also allows doctors to become more accessible for patients. Whenever a health concern arises, patients can text their doctor seeking advice. It’s better than having to resort to the internet to diagnose your symptoms, which doesn’t know you the way that your doctor does.
These are just a few advantages of texting. However doctors fear that implementing new technology like texting can lead to unintended HIPAA violations.
There are ways your doctor can text you. He just needs to know the rules. Most doctors’ initial response is correct: texting is extremely problematic under HIPAA. Under this act, electronic PHI (ePHI) must be encrypted in order to guarantee that it cannot be accessed by unauthorized viewers. However copies of texts can remain on a phone service provider’s system indefinitely. Additionally, most providers cannot guarantee that a text has been sent or received by the correct recipient, which can be risky when transferring ePHI. Despite all this, there is a simple solution for medical providers that will allow them to technologically modernize their practice.
Curogram offers a simple, secure text messaging solution that is not only HIPAA compliant, but could revolutionize how medical providers conduct business. Curogram, a web-based SMS app offers two-way communication from the web to any mobile phone. This is how it works: every time someone accesses the app, they must authenticate their identity by scanning their fingerprint. Patients and doctors alike can use the app to send messages, even if they include ePHI.
The app also includes a “wipe” feature: in the event that a user’s phone is either lost or stolen, or a message has gone astray, system administrators have the ability to wipe the messages remotely . It’s a great, and secure way for medical professionals to collaborate with each other, and for patients to be more in control over their healthcare by having access to their doctor at their fingertips.
In the same way that journalists use third-party apps such as WhatsApp to protect their sources by sending encrypted messages, doctors can rely on secure platforms like Curogram to protect a patient’s ePHI. It is entirely HIPAA compliant, and offers medical providers a long-awaited gateway into the digital age.
Most medical practices are not innately opposed to implementing technology. They too understand how it can help streamline work and make communication between doctors and their patients more efficient. It’s a fear of violating HIPAA that holds them back. Apps like Curogram that provides viable, HIPAA-compliant solutions can allow them to flourish.
