Is telemedicine compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)? It can be if reasonable precautions are taken. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) delineates what must be done to ensure proper compliance with HIPAA rules and regulations:
Security Rule Requirements
The Security Rule, in general, requires entities to:
- Ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of health information they create, receive, maintain, or transmit.
- Identify and protect against threats to the security or integrity of information.
- Protect against inappropriate uses or disclosures.
- Ensure compliance by their workforce.
Risk Analysis
Entities are required to perform risk analysis. This should be an ongoing process, entailing four essential parts:
- Evaluating probability and impact of potential risks to confidential information.
- Implementing security measures to address the above risks.
- Documenting security measures and their rationale.
- Maintaining continuous protection.
Safeguards
Safeguards must be in place to ensure HIPAA compliance:
- Designated security officials must be in charge.
- Access to information must be authorized to appropriate personnel only.
- Workstations and facilities, in general, must have limited access.
- Personnel must be trained in safeguard management.
- A periodic assessment is required.
- Electronic techniques must be used to prevent unauthorized access or changes to records.
- Violations must be corrected.
State Laws and HIPAA
HIPAA supersedes all state laws, ensuring a national standard for protecting sensitive patient data.
Telemedicine Services and HIPAA Compliance
Most large telemedicine services, like QuickMD, Teladoc, and Doctor-On-Demand, follow HIPAA and are therefore considered HIPAA-compliant. This means your personal health data will remain private and will only be shared with people and entities involved in your care, like doctors, nurses, billing departments, etc.
Patient Waivers
The patient can waive certain aspects of HIPAA. For example, suppose a patient prefers to communicate with their doctor or care team by email and agrees to receive protected health information by email. In that case, this does not constitute a HIPAA violation.
Additional Information
For more information, check the Department of Health & Human Services website.
QuickMD Telemedicine Services
QuickMD adheres to HIPAA regulations to ensure your health information is protected and secure. To experience safe and confidential telemedicine, book an appointment with QuickMD today.
