In 1996, the United States Congress proposed The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which was then signed by President Bill Clinton. Under HIPAA, health insurers, medical service providers, employer sponsored health plans and other organizations or individuals that have access to Protected Health Information have to adhere to specific legal regulations in order to protect sensitive information. While HIPAA is a necessary implement to any medical care environment, some medical care providers may realize that HIPAA regulations may hinder the utilization of technology developed to assist doctors, nurses and other medical care professionals in staying in contact with their patients. However, if you are a medical care provider who is interested in implementing healthcare mobile apps, medical mobile apps, medical tent messaging, or other forms of mobile health applications, you can easily start finding options for HIPAA compliant messaging. Many of these applications which are compatible with mobile devices that thousands of individuals use daily adhere to regulations and guidelines that warrant their inclusion in HIPAA compliant messaging.

Secure text messaging is important to all individuals who utilize this function of smart phones and other cell phones. Most of us do not want private messages to be seen by unauthorized individuals, even if these messages do not contain sensitive information. However, medical text messages can contain a great deal of sensitive, private information, and as such, HIPAA compliant messaging ensures that this information is protected during its transmittal. In fact, Title II of HIPAA addresses the requirement of national standards when it comes to specific electronic healthcare transactions, including the keeping of electronic medical records. Additionally, Title II requires that national identifiers are established for health insurance plans, employers, and other healthcare providers. Although these standards are currently set, it is the responsibility of healthcare providers and other medical care professionals to evaluate the possible threats that can come from texting Personal Health Information, and ensure that their Hipaa compliant messaging system protects this information.

Ensuring that the correct amount of research has been conducted before choosing a Hipaa compliant messaging system is a great way to ensure you choose the right one. Many medical professionals report an increase in patient communication using these electronic systems. Additionally, according to a study conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, Danish doctors report saving significant time throughout their workday by ordering lab reports and prescribing drugs to patients electronically.