Eagle Associates, Inc.
compliance services since 1988
Sending E-Mail to Patients
As medical records make the transition to an electronic format and patients become more comfortable with making electronic requests, the concern for PHI security becomes more of an issue for practices.
Email Origination – The concern for security of an email transmission begins with the originator of the e-mail. If a patient is sending PHI to you from his/her email system, you have no security concerns for the transmission. If, however, you are the originator of the e-mail, or are responding to a patient’s email, the responsibility for security is yours.
The December 2006 issue of the Advisor contained an article ("On-Line Communications with Patients") that explained security issues and potential solutions. Contact Eagle Associates if you would like a PDF copy of the article.
The ZIP Solution – Creating a Zip file for documents can provide you with a good method of encrypting information and protecting it from unauthorized access. Simply create a Zip file of the document(s) you want to send and then create a password that must be used to open the document.
Send an email with the password needed to open your document. In a separate email, send the zip file. Once the Zip file is received, the recipient can use the password to open your document.
See the March 2008 issue of the Advisor for the complete article. A sample authorization form is also available to use when patients request e-mail communication.
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