With all of the recent changes in technology, it is more important than ever to make sure that your entire dental office is HIPAA-Compliant. Your office likely takes many precautions when handling patient records and information to ensure complete compliance with HIPAA guidelines, but what if there is a section of your office communication that you have overlooked? For many practices, the use of email is a daily occurrence in the office, but most email providers are not HIPAA-Compliant by default. Our team has assembled the top three things that your practice needs to know before using email to send protected health information.
- Email, by default, is not encrypted and generally unprotected. While many email providers use SSL to give the appearance of encryption, the actual email content transmits across the internet as a plain text file. This means that your emails are open to potential interception by people or malware that would have full access to this protected health information. This information theft can result in identity theft and HIPAA-investigations.
- Encrypted Emails Are Often Safe from Large-Scale Email Leaks. From big corporations like Sony and Yahoo to the Democratic National Committee, big email leaks are happening more and more often. Leaks of this size often endanger your customer’s personal information and can lead to HIPAA investigations and fines. By utilizing encrypted HIPAA-Compliant Email you can ensure that your messages are only read by the intended party.
- Email Encryption is Essentially Required for HIPAA-Compliance. Email Encryption is labeled as an “Addressable” and must be implemented if it is determined that encryption is a reasonable and appropriate safeguard for protected health information. HIPAA-Compliant email from DIGI Search is easy to set up for your office and offers protection from potential HIPAA fines or corrective measures.
If your office uses email to communicate protected health information to patients or referral sources, it is important that you take every step to protect this information. DIGI Search offers an affordable and easy to use HIPAA-Compliant Email System through Google, allowing you to keep your custom email address without worry of potential HIPAA violations. To learn more about HIPAA-Compliant Email for your dental office, contact DIGI Search today!
