Is Texting PHI (Protected Health Information) Allowed by HIPAA?
The answer to that question is more complicated than a simple yes or no. “It depends,” says it best. The reason lies in the law itself. The lawmakers who crafted the HIPAA legislation went to great lengths, it seems to me, to make the mandate non-prescriptive. HIPAA compliance doesn’t expressly require the use or avoidance of any specific modes of communication. In fact, the law doesn’t even mention texting PHI! What HIPAA does say is that with any means of communication, appropriate safeguards must be in place to ensure the privacy and security of Protected Health Information (PHI). Whether or […]
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