A female doctor is reading emails on her laptop.

Keeping Your Office Email HIPAA Compliant

In healthcare, communication is everything. From keeping colleagues informed to updating patients, email is a vital tool in this industry. But there's a catch. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, mandates strict standards to protect sensitive patient data. With email being such a standard communication tool, how can healthcare professionals ensure they're compliant?

 

Understanding HIPAA and Email Communication

HIPAA isn't just a fancy acronym; it's a commitment to patient privacy. At its core, this legislation aims to safeguard electronic protected health information (ePHI). Any digital format containing personal health details - including emails - must meet specific security standards. The goal is to protect patient's personal and medical details from unauthorized access and breaches.

 

The Risks of Non-Compliance

Falling short of HIPAA's email compliance can have serious repercussions. There are a for starters. And beyond the financial impact, there's a significant dent in the reputation. Trust, once lost, is hard to rebuild for any organization.

Take the recent case of Centromed, for instance. They're facing not one but two class-action lawsuits due to a data breach that exposed 350,000 patient records. It's a stark reminder of how critical compliance is, not just for legal reasons but for maintaining patients' trust in healthcare institutions.

 

Key Steps to Ensure Email Compliance

Here are some key steps to ensure your company emails adhere to these critical standards:

  • Encryption: Think of this as a secret code. Encrypting emails with ePHI ensures they won't decipher the content even if someone intercepts it. It's like locking up your precious belongings in a safe.
  • Training: Everyone handling patient data must know the ropes. Regular training ensures that staff are always up to speed with the latest guidelines and aware of potential risks.
  • Regular Audits: Don't wait for a mishap. Periodic checks and audits are a proactive way to ensure that everything is on track and that any potential risks are spotted early.
  • Access Controls: Not everyone needs to see everything. Setting up role-based access ensures that only the right people can access specific information.
  • Backup and Recovery: Life happens. Systems can crash. But with regular backups and a solid recovery plan, you can ensure that patient data is never lost.

 

The Advantage of Partnering with Intuitive Networks

When you choose to partner with us, it's more than just securing an IT service. You're tapping into our deep-rooted expertise tailored for industry-specific requirements, ensuring guidance at every turn. Enjoy peace of mind knowing that we are diligently handling the IT nuances—from timely updates to essential security patches—allowing you to zero in on patient care. Moreover, consider the significant fines associated with non-compliance; partnering with us for a proactive stance is a cost-effective strategy, shielding you from potential financial pitfalls down the road.

 

Navigating HIPAA: Why Expertise Matters

Staying HIPAA compliant, especially regarding email communication, isn't just about ticking boxes. It's about honoring the trust patients place in healthcare professionals. While managing it solo can feel like a tightrope walk, having an IT expert partner like us in your corner means you've got a safety net to rely on. Don't risk patient trust or face hefty fines. Join hands with us; we'll ensure that your patient data remains protected and compliant.

Ready to navigate the world of HIPAA with confidence? Speak with one of our IT experts today to stay compliant.

 


Social media icons

Social Media Terms of Service

Social media terms of service, also known as terms and conditions, are typically extremely lengthy contracts in the tiny fonts that we tend to skip over as quickly as possible. However, those sneaky paragraphs we often skim past to get to the end of the page hold valuable information. Needless to say, privacy policy contracts are lengthy, and although everyone should read them, rarely does anybody. 

 

With an abundance of social media platforms and their corresponding apps, it’s quite difficult to get through all of the terms of service in one session. We get it; we don’t want to read long and confusing legal documents either. That is why we’re here to shed some light on social media terms of service. 

Understand What You Are Signing

 

So, what is hidden in those extensive paragraphs? 

When agreeing to a social media platform's terms and conditions, you are confirming the terms of their license. Mind you; this license is legally binding and quite serious in that it protects whatever you are signing up for. Contracts generally require an offer and consent. This means that the user must signal their compliance by clicking acceptance of the terms or providing a digital signature. Other social media platforms imply consent by the use of the platform, with the terms of service, or terms and conditions, provided in a link often found near the bottom of a platform's homepage.

 

One of the important terms to look out for is the intent for which a license is permitted. This may be specified as “for the sole purpose of promoting the website,” or a purpose may not be specified at all. It is worth knowing whether the purpose of a given license includes commercial use of copyright-protected work.

Understanding Your Privacy Rights

 

Although terms of service contracts may be a bit confusing and hard to digest, it is essential to know that any changes to the social media platform's terms of service must be easy to understand for its users. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has enforced actions against Google and Facebook for "unfair and deceptive" practices in how these giant companies provided their users notice on how their personal data are handled on a daily basis. This means you can relax knowing that the FTC has your back. 

 

However, don’t get too excited just yet. Courts have yet to assign any value to privacy rights. However, recent legislative changes are quickly shifting the conduct of social media platforms. While Europe's General Data Protection Regulation does not directly impact privacy protection for people in the United States, it has inspired the state of California to take some action. The requirements that mirror some of Europe's changes include – clear notice and consent requirements for the use of personal data, along with restrictions on how the personal data of social media platform users are handled.

 

So, what's the deal with TikTok?

 

TikTok has been in the news recently for its fine print within its terms of service that nobody reads. 

 

Here is a snippet from their privacy policy for your reference:

 

Device Information

We collect certain information about the device you use to access the Platform, such as your IP address, user agent, mobile carrier, time zone settings, identifiers for advertising purposes, model of your device, the device system, network type, device IDs, your screen resolution and operating system, app and file names and types, keystroke patterns or rhythms, battery state, audio settings, and connected audio devices. Where you log in from multiple devices, we will be able to use your profile information to identify your activity across devices. We may also associate you with information collected from devices other than those you use to log in to the Platform.

 

In short, the concern with TikTok is legitimate, and it would be a good idea to look through their privacy policy fully during your downtime. Better yet, give us a call and ask us about true mobile security for your devices. 

 

Can TikTok access your camera even if the app is closed?

 

Although this still remains under debate, we are now aware that TikTok has full access to the audio, video, and address book on any given device while the app is open. While it isn’t surprising since TikTok is an audio-visual application, what is rather shocking is the GPS tracking mentioned in their privacy policy. This is especially surprising because TikTok videos don’t inherently display location information for other users to see. In conclusion, TikTok should be treated with caution, just like any other social media platform. Always remember that whatever you record will be seen by others whether you like it or not. 

 

Protect Your Rights and Intellectual Property

 

Social media has become a much-integrated part of both our personal and professional lives. Learning how to stay safe while posting on social media is especially important with the increasing amount of integrated payment systems, apps, phone verification, and touchless technology. Here are some best practices to stay safe while using your favorite social applications.

 

  1. Adjust your privacy settings.
  2. Be cautious of sharing too much personal information.
  3. Verify who you are connecting with.
  4. Use strong passwords (mix these up for each of your social media accounts).
  5. Click links with caution.  
  6. Become familiar with the privacy policies of the social media platforms you use on daily basis.

 

Here at Intuitive Networks, we're not just all about IT services - Contact us today and get real IT support from industry experts.

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