How to Ensure Email HIPAA Compliance

To ensure email HIPAA compliance, healthcare organizations need to train their employees on the rules and practices of emailing patient information. This can help prevent data breaches, which have been caused by healthcare employees accidentally sharing ePHI through email with unencrypted attachments or sending it to unauthorized people. In addition to training healthcare staff on HIPAA compliance, healthcare organizations should educate them about email security and proper email platform use.

Before choosing an email service provider, make sure the company uses encryption. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256) has no known vulnerabilities, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends using key sizes of at least 128 bits. Additionally, HIPAA-compliant email providers will use end-to-end encryption to ensure that only the intended recipient can read and view sensitive content.

Ensure HIPAA compliance by requiring your staff to receive annual email security training. This training should cover security, who can view patient data and how to avoid phishing scams. It also covers what can and cannot be included in emails. This training is particularly important for those who send patient-identifying information from mobile devices.

Email providers should sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). A BAA guarantees that email services will comply with HIPAA regulations. While end-to-end encryption is the preferred method of email security, not all email clients are end-to-end encrypted.