HIPAA-Compliant Email and Messaging: The Benefits of a Multipronged Approach

Originally posted in HealthTech Magazine

Email platforms such as Microsoft Office 365 remain an important mode of communicating with and sharing information about patients. But is email HIPAA-compliant?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Privacy Rule governs how healthcare organizations use, disclose and protect patients’ personal health information. It also covers business associates, including cloud services and email providers, that handle protected health information on their behalf.

As long as a HIPAA-covered entity secures a business associate agreement with an email provider such as Microsoft, email can comply with HIPAA rules.

That said, a BAA alone doesn’t guarantee HIPAA compliance.

Read the full article here.