Why Your Healthcare Organization Needs HIPAA Compliant Instant Messaging
Hospitals, healthcare practices and medical facilities are increasingly using instant messaging to improve internal communications and provide the best patient care available. To provide top-tier care -- and to ensure that patient information remains confidential when shared between team members -- it's important that healthcare facilities adopt a HIPAA compliant instant messaging system.
Why a HIPAA Compliant Instant Messaging System Matters
Many hospitals still rely on antiquated communications processes, including loudspeakers and pagers. In addition, there's no telling when the emergency room or general practices can become flooded with patients. When these influxes occur, an outdated communication system negatively affects a staff's ability to meet patient needs.
But simplifying communications isn't as easy as installing an instant messaging application. Healthcare facilities need to ensure that any messaging system used internally is HIPAA compliant:
- Security measures must be in place to ensure that Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) and patient information remains confidential and secure during transmission.
- Hospital IT and system administrators should have complete access to the messaging application, with the ability to call up or remotely wipe any data necessary.
- If using a BYOD mobile device, employees must notify supervisors if their device is lost, stolen or damaged.
- Organizations must conduct thorough and regular risk assessments to ensure their messaging system remains compliant with HIPAA regulations.
The good news is that by using a HIPAA compliant instant messaging system, healthcare organizations can streamline internal processes and more effectively manage their workforce. Other organizational and operational benefits of HIPAA compliant messaging include:
- More Efficient Workflows: Hospital staff and practitioners can communicate more effectively and efficiently with the right messaging technology. A HIPAA-compliant messaging system that allows for file sharing enables staff to share information like X-Rays, prescription, treatment schedules, follow-up appointments and more.
- Higher Volume of Patients Seen and Treated: Typically, doctors and nurses need to page or physically locate one another to notify the other person as to whether or not a patient has been treated. With instant messaging, doctors and nurses can notify each other once a patient's treatment is complete, as well as share necessary patient information. This allows for quicker treatment, enabling physicians to move on to the next patient.
- Faster Personnel Response Times: Loudspeakers can be unclear or difficult to hear. When staff is empowered with mobile devices with a HIPAA complaint instant messaging app installed, a simple message can guide them to the area of the hospital or practice that needs their attention.
- Minimize Compliance Risks: Healthcare organizations that fail to make sure their instant messaging solutions are HIPAA compliant can face steep fines, including penalties of up to $50,000. When you implement HIPAA-compliant messaging technology, you minimize compliance risks and save your organization unnecessary fees.
NetSfere: Your Provider for HIPAA Compliant Instant Messaging
NetSfere's enterprise messaging service was designed to facilitate full compliance with HIPAA regulatory standards and other global healthcare regulations. Our secure messaging solutions enable hospitals, medical practices and healthcare providers to optimize their communications processes and serve more patients than ever before, without compromising sensitive medical information.
To learn more about how your healthcare organization can benefit from NetSfere's HIPAA compliant instant messaging solution, contact us today.
