Digital security is a growing concern among all businesses, as data is the most valuable asset of any business. Yet, there are few fields in which the protection of data is as valued as it is in the healthcare industry. The introduction of bring your own device technology to the healthcare workforce has some with many questions including, how secure is texting. This concern is not poorly founded. However, by better knowing the security options available to healthcare offices, joining the future of the healthcare industry can be made simple. In fact, the Netherlands now boasts a 99% participation rate in BYOD systems.

So, how secure is texting?

The answer to how secure is texting is different depending on what mobile healthcare technology is used. The best way to understand secure HIPAA texting is by getting back to the basics. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, passed in 1996 establishes the conditions under which certain healthcare groups and businesses may handle the personally identifying health information known as Protected Health Information. In other words, HIPAA is the ultimate arbiter of what actions are allowed versus which are prohibited during the exchange of healthcare information. Therefore meeting HIPAA email compliance and HIPAA messaging standards is a must for any healthcare office.

In this mobile ready medical world, health 2.0 has become a large player. Health 2.0 applications can be established on mobile devices to make available telemedicine, electronic medical records, and mobile health apps. This new technology allows eHealth to safely mesh the ease of web 2.0 with healthcare necessities. As is usual with smart phones and other tablets, the key to unlocking the power of health 2.0 is all in the apps.

The biggest concern of any health office that is integrating BYOD technology to save time through convenience is this combination of HIPAA and health 2.0.

Apps should help, and not hinder overall patient security. This means that healthcare services should have no problem maintaining patient privacy for extending periods of time, even after the loss of a job. Mobile medical apps can be the best way to move forward with BYOD without compromising client security. These mobile healthcare applications come in a variety of designs for multiple purposes.

When looking for a mobile app, there are a couple things to consider. The first aspect worth noting is how the information is opened on a mobile device. The applications themselves should be secure, and should keep desired information separate from other data that is sent and received from a smart phone or tablet. Furthermore, mobile healthcare solutions should provide for the secure sending of data. Using apps that can encrypt data while it is in route to its destination means that the data will be resistant to interceptions. With these two measures accounted for, businesses can move on to finding the most intuitive applications for their day to day work. Helpful info also found here.