As a healthcare organization, it goes without saying that compliance is a big part of what you do.
If being HIPAA compliant is important to your business, it’s essential that you never go down the wrong path. It only takes one mistake for your company to find itself in trouble.
Before we go any further, let’s examine the basic definition of HIPAA (as shared by the California Department of Health Care Services):
“HIPAA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that was passed by Congress in 1996.”
The act is meant to do the following four things:
- Reduce health care abuse and fraud
- Implement industry wide standards regarding health care information on electronic billing
- Require the confidential handling and protection of protected health information
- Provide the ability for millions of Americans to transfer and continue health care coverage when they lose or change jobs
In other words, without HIPAA the healthcare industry would not be nearly as efficient and effective as it is today.
Is Your Healthcare Organization Under HIPAA Regulation?
Only you know if your organization is under HIPAA regulation. This typically includes any organization that electronically transfers healthcare related billing records and medical records. This can include but is not limited to:
- Health plan suppliers
- Health care clearing houses
- Health care providers (such as doctors and hospitals) that process information electronically
Once you know that you are under HIPAA regulation, you then need to turn your attention to guaranteeing compliance at every turn of the road, including the way you communicate.
Where does Brosix Fit In?
In today’s day and age, a growing number of companies (including those in the healthcare industry) are using instant messaging applications to communicate.
As a healthcare organization, you need to choose a provider that complies with regulation requirements.
Brosix, for example, provides an encrypted team communication platform that complies with all HIPAA requirements.
We discuss this in great detail on our website, with the following point among the most important:
“For every client/subscriber Brosix offers a dedicated agreement, which outlines that all data transferred with the messenger is encrypted and secure, thus complying with the HIPAA requirement of not sharing personal health information publicly or otherwise.”
While it’s easy to believe that every instant messenger lives up to the same requirements, nothing could be further from the truth.
Tip: if you are currently using an IM application and are unsure if it meets all HIPAA requirements, it’s imperative to learn more.
The Proof You Need
Brosix users are able to prove that they comply with HIPAA in the event that they transfer protected information through the application.
If Brosix is the only means that a healthcare organization uses for data transfers, they are permitted to use the language “HIPAA compliant” on their website. As noted above, you will also receive an agreement for the regulation.
Conclusion
So, there you have it. If you have any concerns about whether your healthcare organization is HIPAA compliant, you need to clear the air right away.
With this information in hand, you should be more confident than ever before that Brosix can help your organization be HIPAA compliant.
