Transmitting Medical Records … The Ins and Outs

You’ve asked your legal assistant to retrieve medical records for a court case and then email you a copy at your home email address so that you can work on the case from home. Not a problem, right? It depends. Email is not an inherently secure transmission method. While you may not be a “covered entity” subject to HIPAA‘s Security Rule, transmitting sensitive information over insecure channels is generally not advised. Just as you wouldn’t broadcast your credit card or Social Security number over unsecure channels, you should take care with the sensitive information of your clients.

So, what are your alternatives? There are many ways to share files securely, allowing you to receive the medical records you need wherever you happen to be without the worry of compromising the sensitive data within these files. Two reliable medical records transmission options are: encrypted email and secure file sharing sites.