The following is a guest article by Ram Krishnan, CEO at Valant
Communicating with patients – in a compliant manner – is essential for behavioral health practices. All practices must comply with HIPAA, as well as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). To protect patient privacy and respect patient communication preferences, these laws require certain guidelines to be followed. A few examples are obtaining permission to share information with third parties, having patients “opt-in” to communications, and putting the right data security measures in place. Technology plays a crucial role in HIPAA-compliant communication for behavioral health.
1. Embracing Secure EHR Software and Patient Portal
Effective EHR software helps ensure HIPAA-compliant interactions. Practices should ensure that their EHR has a fully integrated patient portal that will allow patients to manage their care in a secure and HIPAA-compliant way. This includes viewing and paying bills, managing appointments, and signing forms electronically. Mobile app functionality is another thing to consider, as many patients prefer to use mobile devices for these types of tasks.
Many practices rely on email for communication but this presents substantial risks to HIPAA compliance. First, email addresses are often mistyped, which can result in dangerous disclosures of protected health information (PHI). Even if they reach their intended recipient, emails are often overlooked or misdirected to spam folders, and they are usually unencrypted.
As a result, email communications can more easily be intercepted by third parties than information conveyed through a secure web portal. This does not mean practices should skip email entirely, but they can help ensure compliance by limiting the use of email to alerts and reminders that direct patients to a secure patient portal.
2. Streamlining Patient Communication with Patient-Centric Automated Messaging
Personalized communications can help patients stay focused on their care. Automated messaging may seem impersonal, but it is an essential tool to reduce no-show appointments and keep patients engaged. Simple appointment reminders are key to a practice’s communications strategy. Research has shown that several appointment reminders are much more effective than just one reminder. Utilizing patient communications features within an EHR can help practices save time and reduce no-shows.
With automated messaging, it is a good idea to not just comply with the TCPA but to exceed its requirements. For example, express written consent for such messages is not required by law for pertinent medical information, but it is a best practice to meet patient expectations and avoid complaints. Today, text messages are often the most effective, as automated emails and phone calls are often less preferred by patients.
The right tools can help practices obtain consent for communications, respect patient preferences (e.g., text, phone, or email), and send automated, patient-specific reminders or broadcast messages. These communications can provide information about appointments or direct patients to the portal to complete forms securely. This ensures patient privacy and empowerment via TCPA-compliant engagement solutions.
3. Telehealth Experiences: HIPAA-Compliant Communication for Behavioral Health
Innovations in telehealth are key to HIPAA-compliant communication for behavioral health. The first step is using a HIPAA-compliant telehealth solution. Many standalone video conferencing platforms are not designed for medical use and do not contain HIPAA-compliance functionality to keep your patients and your practice protected. Adopting an EHR with fully integrated telehealth will further reduce liability by centralizing data and improving the patient experience.
In addition, communications regarding telehealth appointments should follow all HIPAA and TCPA guidelines. Patient communication tools should accommodate this in their appointment reminders and all other types of messaging.
Empowering Behavioral Health Practices: Prioritizing Patient Privacy and Communication
Today, it is imperative that mental health practices embrace an EHR with a HIPAA-compliant patient portal to improve interactions between patients and providers, while avoiding the privacy pitfalls of sending PHI by email.
Reminders and other automated patient communications should be opted into and sent in the patient’s preferred modality, with the right frequency, and should include little or no PHI.
Seamless, secure, EHR-integrated telehealth experiences can reduce liability and help a practice serve their patients in a HIPAA-compliant regardless of whether the visit is performed in-person or virtually.
About Ram Krishnan
Ram joined Valant in 2020 as an experienced technology executive to lead the organization through its next stage of growth. His passion for listening to the customer and building strong teams, coupled with his demonstrated ability to drive scalability, provide a solid foundation for Valant to grow as it finds new ways to serve the behavioral healthcare market.
