As of September 23rd, the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule has been in place. We would like to take the time to inform you of what this rule means with respect to your ProSites website and email.
Our hosted email offering is similar to other popular email providers, including Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, etc. and does not encrypt emails. It remains compliant with the HIPAA Privacy Rule which requires “reasonable and appropriate” protection of electronically communicated Patient Health Information (PHI). It is at your discretion to determine what is “reasonable and appropriate” in communicating electronically with your patients.
Communication through the quick contact plug-ins and appointment request forms on your ProSites website is also fully compliant with HIPAA regulations. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that should a patient initiate contact electronically, you can presume that such communication is “reasonable and appropriate” unless the patient states otherwise.
Please keep in mind that our email and website services are entirely compliant with federal regulations, but these policies may differ at the state level, so be sure you are compliant with local regulations as well.
For more information regarding the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule, please refer to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
