Last updated on May 19th, 2023
Data privacy will remain a very important issue. Following the HIPAA-compliant app development process is essential if you are a healthcare app development company or start-up. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a layer of security for sensitive health information and data centers.
Research shows that data breaches have grown by as much as 140% from 2020 to 2021. The rise in data breaches has significantly affected health and health systems, especially with the speed with which virtual and digital services are being used. When healthcare apps are built with apps for HIPAA-compliant development solutions, patient information stays private and fraudulent activities can’t happen. Also, HIPAA compliance software protects the privacy of all sensitive data and gives the user the right to control any violation at any time.
Building Telehealth Applications on HIPAA-Compliant Software Technology is changing people’s lives and the healthcare industry. We depend on the mobile app for Medicare or health care services. HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms make a big difference in healthcare because these apps are updated often to ensure the most safety precautions.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are important parts of HIPAA-compliant software that make it more advanced and focused on the patient. These HIPAA-compliant mobile apps are full value-based solutions that can help make a secure telehealth app. Since the pandemic started, telehealth has become an important part of keeping our health and safety safe. So, it’s important to choose a platform that fits the needs and requirements of a facility or organization.
In the last 1.5 years, clinical telehealth services have gone through the roof. This is because both patients and providers find it easy to connect and talk about their problems. But given the way things are now, several HIPAA Privacy Rules Covered Entities under Protect Health Information (PHI) exist.
HIPAA Privacy Rules: Who Has to Follow Them?
Privacy rules cover not everyone or every place that collects health information. Only covered entities have to follow HIPAA’s privacy rules. According to HIPAA rules, the following groups are covered:
- Care Plan
- Clearinghouses for health care
- Providers of healthcare
- Partner in business
The HIPAA privacy rule applies to all organizations that send health information, like billing and payment information. Under-covered entities can also be institutions, organizations, or even people. But HIPAA-compliant telehealth apps must go through a few steps before they can be stable, effective, and secure in all important ways.
How to Make Telehealth Apps That Are HIPAA Compliant
To make a telehealth app for HIPAA Compliant that is in line with HIPAA, there are a few steps to take:
- Protect patients’ health information held by health plans, health care providers, and health clearinghouses.
- Limit the use of PHI to what is needed to get the job done.
- Choose the business partners who do the things on the list.
- Follow the rules to limit who can see PHI and teach your staff how to keep the information safe.
To make a healthcare or medical app HIPAA-compliant, we need to check the following requirements:
1. Secret codes
Any telehealth software or health app that sends PHI must keep the patient information encrypted. Companies that make apps should use HTTP protocols and SSL to do this.
2. Generate backup
The company that makes the telehealth clinical services app must offer recovery and backup services in case data is lost by accident.
3. Safely give permission
Companies that make apps have to build and update them in a way that protects their authorization. To do this, access control audits need to be done often. For example, make sure the person using the data is who they say they are. Keep track of logins and make certain security is at its best.
4. Having honor
If it wants to make a HIPAA-compliant telehealth app, it needs to pay attention to the infrastructure. The infrastructure should ensure that data is stored, sent, and collected safely. It should stop people from getting in without permission and be able to find similar problems. The app should also take steps like backup, access authorization, and protocols based on encryption.
5. Storage with encryption
The app has to follow the PHI rule, and this data rule should be covered by the whole software system, including the database, logs, and backups. Also, encrypted data transfer should prevent data breaches and phishing.
6. Getting rid of the data
HIPAA compliance in telemedicine platforms says that backed-up and archived data must be thrown away safely. This is a must for any telehealth app. So, the app should delete data in a way that can’t be recovered.
Related Article: What do you need to know about HIPAA Compliance and Why It is Important?
Making an app that complies with HIPAA
Making an app for HIPAA Compliant is very different from how other apps are made. People expect industries like healthcare and medicine to be digitally mature.
As we all know, HIPAA rules ensure that patient information is handled and stored safely. This includes sharing information, billing, and other patient details. So, to make an APP that is HIPAA-compliant, you need more rules and precision than when making any other app.
Let’s look at how an application that is HIPAA compliant is made.
1. Create a user identification
HIPAA says that logging in to an email account is not the safest way. So, you have to set up user authentication with a secure PIN or password. Using biometrics or smart cards will also be helpful. So, this is something that should be thought about before making the app.
2. Access in an emergency
During any emergency, people must always be able to access their data. For example, if the power goes out or there is a natural disaster, the app for HIPAA Compliant should let you get in. This is not a direct requirement of HIPAA, but it can be a very important part of making a healthcare app.
3. Encryption while data is in motion
If you need to send data, always use services like AWS or Google Cloud since they use the transport layer 1.2. Also, these cloud service providers use full encryption to send data and ensure it is technically safe. During an app’s installation, these protocols ensure that all the rules for identification, encryption, and authentication are followed. End-to-end encryption with TLS is required for information or data packets coming in or going out. This is a must. Then, use the AES encryption process to make this stronger.
Use Cases for HIPAA Health Applications and Identifying Unconfirmed HIPAA Applications
Imagine a use case in which a person downloads a health app for their smartphone that helps them manage their chronic conditions. Downloading the data from the doctor’s EHR through a patient portal on his computer and then uploading it to the app with their personal information. In this case, the app doesn’t create, store, or send PHI on behalf of a business associate or covered entity. Instead, the customer gets his health information from his service provider and then uses the app to manage and organize the information. This helping is allowed by HIPAA because there is no evidence that business associates used or broke the data.
It is important to consider whether or not an app for HIPAA Compliant. So, storing or sending the information in a safe place is essential. A few things to keep in mind when checking to see if an app is HIPAA compliant or not:
Check the application for PHI
The app should follow HIPAA rules if it stores, collects, manages, or sends PHI to covered entities.
User communication
HIPAA protects sensitive patient information, and the app must be made so that users can talk to each other while using it. For example, think about emails that don’t follow HIPAA because they don’t encrypt their content. So, sending PHI through email is a complete violation of HIPAA.
Send out a message
Mobile phones aren’t very safe, and HIPAA rules say push notifications could break people’s privacy. HIPAA violations are expensive. If a data breach or failure to comply is caused by carelessness, the fine can go up from $100 to over $50,000 per violation. So, the fine can go up to $1.5 million, depending on how many people were hurt and how careless the doctor was.
Related Article: An Ultimate Guide to Mobile App Development Following HIPAA Compliance Checklist
Do You Want to Verify Your Medical App is Under HIPAA Compliant or Not?
No longer is it hard to find the right HIPAA-compliant software for your medical or telehealth services. Choose a service provider or a HIPAA-compliant health care app based on how your business works. Software that is an app for HIPAA Compliant is made to keep all patient data safe while it is being stored, sent, and used.
HIPAA-compliant telehealth apps create a safe space for patients, providers, and payers to share information quickly and easily with less trouble. Our digitally integrated healthcare solution makes it easier to build an app that complies with HIPAA. So, it helps you get better health results while giving the user a great experience and completing the patient happy. Hope you have enjoyed reading this write-up and it has helped you to clear your doubts regarding the HIPAA Compliant.
