When texting patients, avoid these HIPAA mistakes

Insecure systems

It can be unsafe to exchange sensitive information from just any device. Avoid communicating with patients on your personal smartphone or on a system where their information isn’t encrypted and can be accessed or intercepted.

Patients don’t want to download a separate app or log into a specific portal to ask questions or get updates — they just want to text you. To text patients securely, you can implement a HIPAA-compliant text messaging platform that maintains government privacy and security standards.

A secure channel ensures that information is encrypted at every level, from physician to patient. Without a secure...