If you work in the medical field, you are acutely aware of the Health Insurance Portability and Liability Act, which is also known as HIPAA. HIPAA was rolled out under the Clinton Administration in 1996, and is aimed to protect the health insurance of employees who lose their jobs. Additionally, HIPAA also strives to safeguard the privacy of employee health care records.

As one would expect, the introduction of HIPAA changed the way that health care institutions keep and store patient medical records. And while the internet had yet to boom when it was enacted in 1996, email had already existed for years. Therefore, HIPAA compliant email services were now mandated for health care institutions around the country. This is the obvious reason why every hospital, physician’s private practice, urgent care center, dental office, etc. now depends on not only HIPAA secure email, but secure SMS, text messaging, and mobile medical applications.

Of course, it was because of the advancements in electronic record-keeping and communications that created a need for an act like HIPAA. When you factor in the advent of mobile communications, there is clearly an even greater need for mobile healthcare solutions to protect both the privacy of patients and the health care institutions that treat those patients.

Given the fact that no complex federal law is simple, it is really understandable that navigating an entire act such as HIPAA can be challenging. However, HIPAA compliant healthcare technology solutions can ensure health care providers that they their communications and record keeping systems are remaining within the strictures specified under HIPAA. This allows hospitals, medical practices, dental offices, and other health care providers to continue focusing on the care they give to their patients.

While there is no question that electronic communications and record keeping has revolutionized the health care industry in many positive ways. However, it has raised concerns about patient privacy; and if that privacy is compromised in any way, the responsibility falls upon the health care provider. Fortunately, secure SMS, email, texting, and mobile health care solutions can allow those providers to rest assured that bother their patients and themselves are protected.