The October NEWSLETTER article that discussed smartphones and HIPAA ably illustrated the security implementations necessary for the use of smartphones in the hospital setting (“Texting, Safety and Privacy: How Your Smartphone Interfaces With HIPAA”). There are a couple of key points.
In a truly controlled environment, the institution would have the right to remotely wipe the user’s phone as in the case of device loss or employee dismissal. Phones used in the institution would be restricted to a list of IT-approved apps. Sensitive data would have to be encrypted and passwords could not be chosen solely by the end user but in conjunction with the IT department.
I have noted the increasing use of SMS (texting) in urgent situations. To paraphrase Mark Twain, “reports of the death of the pager have been greatly exaggerated.” We have all experienced dropped calls and dead zones when using our mobile phones. In the...
