Sending personal health information? Use secure e-mail
President Obama signed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ("HITECH Act") into law on February 17, 2009, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (economic stimulus package). Most of the changes related to HIPAA business associates went into effect on February 17, 2010.
HITECH Act legal and compliance implications on business associates The HITECH Act sees networks of providers as business associates.
- Business associates will be subject to key provisions of the HIPAA privacy and security rules, generally in the same manner as covered entities.
- All business associate agreements have been revised to reflect HITECH requirements.
- New breach notification regulation has been adopted that pertains to unencrypted personal health information (PHI).
- Business associates will be subject to civil and criminal penalties for violations of the HITECH Act.
Remember to send PHI securely E-mail for exchanges that contain PHI must be sent via encrypted or authenticated e-mail. When PHI is involved, standard e-mail is not acceptable — it is not secure.Your online account with Priority Health includes a secure mailbox, so we can send you private e-mail. Since we send it to your mailbox on our website it never leaves our system, and your privacy is completely protected. Do not include PHI in the subject line of an email.
Having problems accessing your secure email? Be sure your email with us is correct. Log into the
Provider Center and view your email address in the upper right corner. If your e-mail is not correct, simply click on "edit" to change your email. If you still have problems, please contact your provider account coordinator (PAC) for assistance.
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