Patients receiving communications appreciate the convenience of electronic communications. It can be easier to manage and less costly than mail for you, as well. However, new challenges arise regarding security and compliance, which is why you need a HIPAA-compliant email platform.
When evaluating your options, specific features and capabilities will be critical to ensuring the process is seamless as well as secure.
Email Communication Is Increasing in Healthcare
Going digital for patients is rising. A study found that 36.9% of patients receive emails from large healthcare systems. Insurers have been driving their members toward email adoption, too, as a way to send EOBs, statements, and more.
As patients treat their healthcare providers and insurers more like a consumer-brand relationship, email supports their preferences.
To align with the evolving environment of healthcare communications, your organization must invest in a HIPAA-compliant email platform.
7 Features to Seek Out in an Email Platform for HIPAA Compliance
Many email solutions are available, but they are not the same. The majority of these are built for traditional marketing emails, not those with regulatory rules. The first thing you can do in your assessment is to eliminate those that are purely marketing tools.
Let’s review other capabilities you’ll want in an email provider.
Encryption Is Mandatory
Per HIPAA requirements, all emails that fall under this category must have encryption. This pivotal layer of security should be at the top of your list. With encryption, you minimize the risk of email interception.
Data Security Must Be Robust
In addition to encryption, there are more security measures that should be part of the platform. The infrastructure of security should be significant and use the best frameworks available for HIPAA-compliant emails.
Data security must be part of the entire environment and lifecycle. It should include things like firewalls, IPS (Intrusion Protection System) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) transmission protocols. Further, the email solution should undergo regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing.
Archiving Is a Requirement
Per HIPAA rules, you must keep a secure archive of messages to patients. An integrated archive function in the email platform improves ease of use and security.
Sender Certification Boosts Deliverability
Some email systems may not have features that improve deliverability. If emails to patients don’t land in their inboxes, you could face noncompliance complaints.
One of the biggest culprits of undeliverable mail is the wrong email address. When you have list validation, there’s a series of checks that occur to verify addresses are not incorrect, dead, or dangerous.
The process happens before sending, which protects your sender reputation.
Inbox Placement Reduces Emails Ending Up in Spam
Lots of email recipients don’t check their spam folder. If your emails end up there, they may never see them, which can create lots of issues. However, there are tools in HIPAA-compliant email systems to decrease this. They help resolve problems that would kick your communications into the spam folder.
Physical Letters Can Trigger If Necessary
Another consideration is what happens if something occurs that requires a physical letter. It could be a manual process now, or something you’re just not addressing.
When you select an email platform from a provider with print and mail services, you can set up triggers based on business rules that would generate a printed letter and mailing. It ensures that patients receive every document they need.
HIPAA Compliant Email Platform from Transactional Experts
We built our email solution, eDelivery, based on dep expertise in transactional communications. Compliance with HIPAA and other protections for personal data is part of every component of the platform.
Want to see how it works? Request a consultation with our team today
