Text messaging to communicate with public health audiences: How the HIPAA security rule affects practice

H.N. Karasz, A. Eiden and S. Bogan

American Journal of Public Health, 2013, vol. 103, issue 4, 617-622

Abstract: Text messaging is a powerful communication tool for public health purposes, particularly because of the potential to customize messages to meet individuals' needs. However, using text messaging to send personal health information requires analysis of laws addressing the protection of electronic health information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule is written with flexibility to account for changing technologies. In practice, however, the rule leads to uncertainty about how to make text messaging policy decisions. Text messaging to send health information can be implemented in a public health setting through 2 possible approaches: restructuring text messages to remove personal health information and retaining limited personal health information in the message but conducting a risk analysis and satisfying other requirements to meet the HIPAA Security Rule.

Keywords: influenza vaccine, article; child; female; health insurance; human; influenza; legal aspect; male; organization and management; policy; privacy; public health service; reminder system; text messaging; United States, Child; Female; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; Humans; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Male; Privacy; Public Health Practice; Public Policy; Reminder Systems; Security Measures; Text Messaging; United States (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2012.300999_2

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.300999

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