Tag: hipaa

Am I at HIPAA-risk if a patient replies to my secure email message?

January 31, 2017

Here is a question from “Ask Erik:” Dear Dr. Kangas,  When I write an email to a patient from my LuxSci account, it is encrypted and therefore HIPPA compliant.  When they write me back from their regular email address (it’s often hard to get them to sign up at LuxSci), they are putting [PHI /Medical […]

How To Encourage Patient Consent To Email Marketing Without Feeling Slimy

January 26, 2017

If email marketing is known to produce results across a variety of industries, why do some professionals feel uncomfortable with it?  Why do they feel “slimy”?  It is not uncommon for people to feel hesitant to engage in email marketing because it somehow feels “wrong” to them.    There are several factors at play in […]

What is HIPAA-Compliant Cloud Storage?

November 11, 2016

HIPAA-compliant cloud storage complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to ensure the security of healthcare patients’ data stored on remote servers accessed from the internet. HIPAA governs how healthcare providers and their business associates, as defined in the Act, can store, manage, and share personal health information (PHI). If […]

What Is HIPAA-Compliant Videoconferencing?

October 10, 2016

HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing is a form of telecommunication used in health settings, allowing multiple parties (e.g., doctor and patient) to communicate via two-way video and audio transmissions. It provides patients with the same privacy and confidentiality that applies to in-person visits, protecting their information and giving the same care to storage and dissemination of the video […]

SMS is Broken and Hackers can Read Text Messages. Never use Regular Texting for ePHI.

June 23, 2016

Security firm Positive Technologies has published a report (see their overview of attack on one time passwords and PDF of the SS7 security problems) that explains how attackers can easily attack the protocols underlying the mobile text messaging networks (i.e. the Signaling System 7 or “SS7” protocol).  In their report, they indicate how this makes it easy to […]