The integration of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices into the everyday workings of businesses means they have become an essential component. The convenience they bring comes with some security risks, however, when sensitive data is being transmitted.
Healthcare professionals have to be especially careful when they text protected health information. Secure messaging services, once only the domain of enterprise executives, is now available to everyone. MediMobile is offering SafeTextMD, a secure messaging app for Android and Apple devices available in for free. This application provides secure text and photo messaging services for healthcare professionals.
The platform can be used by administrators, care providers, medical billers and support staff with mobile devices as well as through a web portal. The application was created to safeguard electronic protected health information (ePHI) that is being texted without any security protocol. While in the past this type of violation would have been addressed with a reprimand, today the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) can place fines of up to $10,000 for violating protected health information.
The danger of getting fined still doesn't prevent many healthcare professionals from using unsecured text. This is because of the expense and difficulties associated with implementing a platform throughout an entire organization. The SafeTextMD solution is HIPAA-compliant, easy to use and free, which will give every member of an organization access to the same application.
The application ensures the protection of text and photo messages from electronic attack by combining database and message encryption. The baseline level of encryption is AES 128bit for database encryption and 128bit SSL encryption for web access, synchronization and network communications. An automated timeout feature protects messages when mobile devices get misplaced or stolen so unauthorized individuals can't access messages.
MediMobile develops mobile applications for healthcare professionals, and it is the leading mobile charge capture solutions provider focusing on streamlining many of the processes in the healthcare industry.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
