Month: March 2014

What to Look for in a Medical Messaging Service – Part 2

Smartphones and tablets have become a valuable tool for healthcare providers. However, as noted in our previous post, the possibility of a HIPAA data breach has made their use risky. Standard texting services lack the security features necessary to protect patient information. To take full advantage of mobile technology, physicians must invest in a HIPAA-compliant, […]

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What to Look for in a Medical Messaging Service

The combination of mobile communications and smartphone technology has revolutionized healthcare. The ability to instantly communicate and share patient information with colleagues and medical office staff has increased physician collaboration, improved medical office staff efficiency, and enhanced patient care. Unfortunately, HIPAA rules have put the brakes on the use of mobile technology in healthcare; turning […]

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Physician Conundrum: To Text or Not to Text? – Part 2

Smartphones have become a vital healthcare tool; but unsecured text messaging does not meet HIPPA regulations, placing physicians at potentially serious legal and financial risk. That risk prompted the Cooperative of American Physicians to recommend that its members not use smartphones to text protected health information. As we pointed out in our previous post, we […]

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Physician Conundrum: To Text or Not to Text?

Smartphones have made communication and collaboration between healthcare providers faster, easier and more effective. Consider the following statistics: 80% of physicians use smartphones at work. (mHealth Watch) 43% of doctors use smartphones to reference drug data and 31% use their phones to make prescribing decisions. (MobiHealthNews) However, despite the obvious advantages smartphones offer, California’s Cooperative […]

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