HIPAA Compliant Texting: All You Need to Know

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has defined certain standards to protect patients’ sensitive information. The idea is to keep people’s healthcare data private.

So, when you’re using a texting app to communicate with patients, while as convenient and effective as that channel could be, it’s important to ensure that the app is HIPAA compliant.

In this blog, we will discuss everything about HIPAA compliant texting app. We’ll also list down some of the best HIPAA compliant texting apps that come packed with features and prioritize security. Let’s start!

What is HIPAA Compliance?

HIPAA refers to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It is a set of regulatory standards for the lawful use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI).  It specifies the rules for protecting the privacy and integrity of patients. This act also covers ePHI or PHI that is transmitted, shared, stored, or received in an electronic format or media.

Healthcare providers, including hospitals, clinics, and individual practitioners need to comply with the rules stated under HIPAA. Besides this, any other subcontractors, associates, or partners of business may also be dealing with PHI. Such entities also fall under the purview of this act as well and are required to sign the HIPAA compliance Business Associate Agreement (BAA). 

Is Texting HIPAA-Compliant?

Typically, texting is not considered HIPAA-compliant. That’s why, sharing or transmitting SMS texts that contain PHI increases the risk of security breaches and data theft.

Texting via traditional platforms such as WhatsApp and iMessage may be end-to-end encrypted, but it is still not HIPAA-compliant. These platforms lack the measures and mechanisms to safeguard the integrity of patients’ information sent through them. But the good news is there are HIPAA compliant text messaging apps that solve this problem. 

HIPAA-compliant texting apps allow secure texting with patients. These apps adopt HIPAA-compliant practices to ensure safe and hassle-free communications. Texting safeguards such as encryption and access controls are put in place to ensure this.

Communications between patients and healthcare professionals or health insurance providers can involve multiple correspondences. Mass texting can serve as a time-saver for the heavily tied-up environment of healthcare. HIPAA-compliant bulk SMS and SMS automation features allow smoother communications with patients.

Who Needs to Follow HIPAA-Compliant Texting?

Under the HIPAA privacy rules, covered entities include healthcare insurance companies and health maintenance organizations. Healthcare providers like doctors, physicians, therapists, clinics, and hospitals that conduct their businesses electronically, also need to abide by the rules under HIPAA. Finally, entities processing patient health information received from another entity or vice versa also fall under HIPAA-compliant entities.

Best HIPAA Compliant Texting Apps

There’s a crowd of HIPAA compliant texting apps out there. The ones that stand out and fulfill the requirements for the few of the best HIPAA compliant texting apps are listed below:

1. JustCall

A HIPAA-compliant VoIP phone system and a complete contact center for healthcare, JustCall has implemented relevant measures to ensure the integrity and privacy of patients’ PHI. As one of the most secure text messaging apps, JustCall uses highly secure data centers and a suite of safety features for all communications. It is also capable of issuing Business Associate Agreements (BAA) to third-party associates. Not only does it offer a secure messaging platform, but also enables safe phone calls for clinical systems and healthcare entities. 

2. Klara

Klara is another widely-used app on this list of best HIPAA compliant texting apps. The application also caters to multiple healthcare specialities.

3. Backline

Backline is a messaging tool that features communication tools with encrypted messaging and built-in filters for healthcare services search. 

4. Halo Health

As a part of Symplr, Halo Health, allows you to deliver and receive secure messages that are HIPAA-compliant. 

5. Well

Well is an application for patients and healthcare professionals that comes with automated functions and surveys for the patients’ feedback.

How to Send HIPAA-Compliant Text Messages: Complete Checklist

To send text messages securely, you need a HIPAA-compliant texting app. According to HIPAA, texting apps need to offer access controls, authority controls, and the ability to issue business associate agreements (BAA). 

After reading this, a few questions might come to mind –“Is iMessage HIPAA compliant?”, “Is SMS HIPAA compliant?”, or “Is WhatsApp HIPAA compliant?”. The answer to all these questions is the same – no!

In essence, HIPAA compliant text messaging becomes possible only through the following steps:

1. Take Patients’ Consent

Firstly, it is mandatory for medical professionals to gain patient consent before engaging in SMS communications with them. Unless there is implied consent as a result of previous interactions, sending SMS to patients without consent goes against the HIPAA rules.

For instance, you may want to circulate feedback forms and patient satisfaction surveys. In that case, you will have to obtain permission from the patients through opt-in text messages. Inversely, you need to offer the patients the choice to opt-out, as well.

2. Use Access Control (s)

HIPAA compliant texting mandates limited access to PHI. For this, only authorized personnel should gain access to sensitive patient data. Authorized users with unique IDs should only have the power to access, send or receive HIPAA-compliant texts.

This also means access to PHI will depend largely on each employee’s job role. The medical staff doesn’t need access to patients’ financial data. Likewise, other patient healthcare staff such as those involved in accounting wouldn’t need access to patients’ personal details and/or medical records.

3. Implement Audit Controls

Audit controls are meant to monitor who accessed patients’ data; when they accessed it and for how long they accessed it. In essence, audit controls help identify unauthorized access to PHI. Tracking access is not possible with mainstream platforms. A HIPAA-compliant texting platform with the necessary functionalities allows you to monitor access to ePHI.

4. Encryption of Text Messages

Text message encryption converts sensitive data into an unreadable form and enables secure healthcare communication. Traditional texting platforms put PHI in transit, at risk of interceptions. Look for a secure messaging solution that is HIPAA-compliant and offers end-to-end encryption for safeguarding ePHI. 

5. Sign BAA with Third-Party Associates

Any third-party associates and vendors working with covered entities may gain access to PHI. Such third-party vendors are known as business associates. They need to sign Business Associate Agreements (BAA) with the covered entities in order to ensure HIPAA-compliant practices in their operations.

6. Mandate Authentication Procedures for Sending and Receiving SMS

Patient healthcare data is confidential and should never get in the wrong hands. To ensure this, there is a need for putting authentication procedures in place. Users should be able to send or receive SMS with PHI only after keying in a password. Alternatively, users may need to give identity proof in order to send and/or receive HIPAA-compliant texts.

JustCall: A HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Platform for Healthcare Industry

 JustCall is one of the best HIPAA compliant texting apps, that offers a suite of features for healthcare sales and support teams. With secure text messaging features such as HIPAA-compliant bulk SMS, SMS automation, and SMS bots, JustCall is the best patient communication platform for your healthcare institution and/or organization. Here’s a quick look at all the features that JustCall offers:

1. Bulk SMS

If you want to send out patient feedback forms, surveys, and/or broadcast messages, bulk SMS is your best bet. JustCall offers HIPAA-compliant bulk SMS so you can roll out mass texts in a safe and secure manner. To save time and effort, you can also schedule bulk SMS campaigns to different groups and people.

2. SMS Automation

To notify about appointments, send reminders, and for other correspondences with patients, SMS automation is a reliable feature. JustCall provides HIPAA-compliant SMS automation that meets all the patient security requirements. With this feature, you can send text messages automatically or when a certain condition is met.

3. SMS Bots

You can also enable auto-reply to patients’ texts with SMS bots. The SMS bot also follows HIPAA-compliant practices. This ensures every customer is responded to and improves the overall customer experience.

4. HIPAA-Compliant VoIP Phone System

Besides being one of the best HIPAA-compliant texting apps, JustCall is also a HIPAA-compliant VoIP phone service provider. It can be accessed via multiple devices including mobile phones, desktops, and laptops. You can get local and toll-free numbers in over 70 countries.

5. CRM and Business Tool Integrations

JustCall offers integrations with over 75 business tools. Your daily calling activities cannot happen in isolation from other business tools. Your support as well as the sales team needs CRM and other business tools to carry out all your operations. Having said that, swapping between different business tools is very time-consuming. CRM integrations sync all the information between the different tools and remove the need for agents to go back and forth between the different business software.

6. Automated Dialing for Medical Sales Reps

For all its outbound calling operations, medical sales reps can use the sales dialer. It automates the dialing process and removes the need to manually dial each customer. HIPAA-compliant calling ensures compliance with security standards.

 7. Multi-level IVR Menu

The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menu is like a 24X7 auto attendant for your medical contact center. Customers can speak to the relevant agent with the press of just a few buttons.

8. Appointment Scheduler

The appointment scheduler is one of the key features that JustCall users can leverage for a seamless patient experience. This helps in seamless 

Make Your Communication HIPAA Compliant with JustCall!

One of the factors that strengthen the credibility of healthcare entities is the safety of the mode of communication between patients and healthcare staff. A lot of sensitive information gets shared during these transactions, and it falls upon the organization to ensure that the patient data is not out at risk. Investing in only the best HIPAA compliant messaging apps can help you deliver your promise of data safety to trusting patients. 

With multiple built-in features and functionalities, JustCall can be your go-to HIPAA compliant texting app for a promising patient experience. To learn more about our HIPAA compliant app, book a demo with our team.