The First HITRUST Certified Answering Service
844-8-NOTIFY
Protect Patient Data with Secure Messaging
Sending a message via a smartphone, tablet, or pager is a common everyday occurrence, so profoundly a part of our culture that we often send off a quick text or email with barely a thought. However, emailing and standard text messaging are both insecure methods when it comes to patient-doctor communications.
Secure messaging for healthcare solutions allows you to send messages directly to patients, physicians, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers over the Internet. To be secure, these messages must be encrypted and password-protected. Essentially, encryption uses cryptographic algorithms to convert plaintext to ciphertext, making it unreadable by unauthorized users. In addition to passwords, multi-factor authentication offers additional security measures.
So, how do you send HIPAA-compliant secure messaging in healthcare practices without putting patients’ sensitive data at risk? That’s where notifyMD®’s secure messaging for healthcare solutions comes in.
HIPAA Compliance Made Simple with Secure Messaging
To send secure messages, many healthcare providers turn to healthcare messaging apps that offer encryption. However, these must also be HIPAA compliant, meeting the strict electronic Protected Healthcare Information (ePHI) requirements.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) mandates by federal law who has access to a patient’s health information. The HIPAA Security Rule requires healthcare providers to implement physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect ePHI. Technical safeguards include access control, authentication, and transmission security.
In short, the best way to ensure HIPAA-compliant secure messaging for healthcare is with encryption, strong passwords, role-based permissions, and multi-factor authentication. In the event of a lost or stolen device, it’s also essential to be able to wipe the data remotely.
HITRUST-Certified Secure Messaging for Maximum Compliance
To ensure optimum compliance, healthcare organizations should consider working with third parties and messaging apps that are HITRUST Certified. This certification represents the highest level of security and protection designed to safeguard patient information.
As the first telephone answering service to be HITRUST Certified, you can be confident in our commitment to the comprehensive framework that blends existing regulations such as HIPAA and NIST with other security and privacy requirements. This translates to the highest level of protection for sensitive patient information.
Key Features of NotifyMD Healthcare Messaging
As a HITRUST-certified medical answering service, we send HIPAA-compliant, protected information to patients, staff, and practitioners. Our safeguards ensure the integrity and confidentiality of data.
Stringent access controls allow only those authorized to receive information, and these individuals must log in through strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to our messaging platform that utilizes end-to-end encryption to prevent data theft.
Our services are always tailored to your unique needs, protocols, and procedures, with our staff acting as an extension of yours.
Benefits of Confidential Messaging for Healthcare Providers & Patients
Many patients prefer receiving reminders and other information via secure messaging for healthcare rather than phone calls. In addition to appointment reminders, confidential messaging is used for the following:
- Sharing test results
- Managing waiting lists
- Medication reminders
- Pre-lab test instructions
- Encourage suggested behavioral changes
- Enhanced care coordination resulting in better patient outcomes
- Follow-up on patients’ concerns and questions
This form of communication has many benefits, including better patient compliance, improved clinical workflows, better outcomes, enhanced communications, fewer medical errors, and reduced costs.
Staff appreciate reduced phone tag, and patients appreciate alternative communication channels that avoid frustrating wait times and being put on hold.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Improved care leads to more satisfied patients.
- PHI is better protected to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.
- Eliminates phone tag and frequent interruptions.
- Boosts office productivity and efficiency.
- Reduces staff stress levels.
- Staff is free to focus on more urgent tasks.
- Admission, transfer, and discharge notifications between facilities.
- Accurate and updated information thanks to your healthcare answering service integrations.
- Most cost-effective method for message delivery.
- Improved patient service and increased satisfaction.
- Better message records for accurate, timely reporting.
- Protection against data breaches and non-compliance fines.