Are you developing a medical app and are concerned about Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) laws?
Even if you’re using an HIPAA-complaint toolkit to build your platform, there are still details that you’ll want to know regarding rights and regulation.
The Connected Health Initiative recently launched a medical app tool to aid mobile health developers in traversing privacy and security guidelines.
As healthcare technology grows at a rapid clip with an ever increasing number of medical apps, EMRs, and health management platforms, even medical professionals need help navigating the intricacies of how this law applies to modern healthcare. Add to that the fact that the mHealth boom brought a lot of newcomers into the healthcare space and it’s clear that there is an essential need for a resource for developers and consumers who aren’t fluent in HIPAA.
Even the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a report to Congress last year admitting that HIPAA isn’t suitable for today’s mobile technology and platforms. In mobile health, they have released some tools including a HIPAA Q&A site.
That’s where the Connective Health Initiative new interactive tool designed to help called HIPAA Check comes in.
A few years ago, we discussed some steps to implement to make sure you’re following the rules, where we singled out the transmission, location, queries, and encryption of data as some of the most important factors.
HIPAA Check determines if you are following the rules via a web-based platform that runs users through a series of simple yes or no questions, like “Are you handling this individually identifiable health information on behalf of a health care provider or health plan?”, and leads users to more resources, including video, if they need it.
The website is easy to use, and the interface is eye-pleasing and uncomplicated. At the end of the test, you get a fully detailed report. It’s definitely worth a look if you’re developing a medical app.
