Violations Of HIPAA Compliant Secure Email Service

Violations Of HIPAA Compliant Secure Email Service

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), stands for protecting sensitive patient data. HIPAA email rules require covered entities to implement access audit controls, integrity controls, ID authentication and transmission security has to fulfill to send emails electronically. Even encryption standards are also applicable.

The violations are, hackers are trying to hack into healthcare details, unpatched and unsupported software, non-malicious internal threats, and accidental threats. Gmail and Yahoo are not HIPAA compliant as security is not a priority for these services.

Violations Of HIPAA Compliant Secure Email Service

“HIPAA” refers to the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” of 1996. It is the United States legislation that offers security provisions and data privacy for protecting medical information. It was President Bill Clinton who signed the act into law in August 1996 and contains the following five sections:

• HIPAA Title I safeguards health insurance coverage for persons who change or lose jobs. In this section, group health plans are not allowed to reject coverage to persons with particular diseases and pre-existing conditions as well as from setting limits to lifetime coverage.
• HIPAA Title II orders the United States Department of Health and Human Services to create national standards for processing electronic healthcare transactions. This section also obliges healthcare organizations to apply secure electronic access to health data and to stay in compliance with privacy regulations set by HHS.
• HIPAA Title III incorporates tax-related guidelines and conditions for medical care.
• HIPAA Title IV further defines health insurance reforms as well as conditions for persons with pre-existing conditions and individuals looking for continued coverage.
• HIPAA Title V incorporates conditions on company-owned life insurance and treatment of those who lose their United States citizenship for income tax purposes.

In sending an HIPAA-compliant email, it is a general rule that free and internet-based web mail services like Gmail, Hotmail, and AOL are not secure for the transmission of PHI or Protected Health Information. For more information on how to send an HIPAA-compliant email, go to How to Send a HIPAA Compliant Email.