04-28-2015, 01:27 AM
Zynx Health EnhancesSecure Text Messaging and Usability in ZynxCarebook
Mobile app ensuresHIPAA and other government standards compliance for clinicians sharing patient data and other confidential information.
The enhancements, which were first unveiledat last week’s HealthcareInformation and Management Systems Society’s Annual Conference & Exhibition (HIMSS15) in Chicago, improve theability of physicians, nurses and other clinicians to exchange patient data or other confidential information while remaining in compliance with HIPAA, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and other relevant industry standards.
Healthcare professionals who need to share electronicprotected health information (ePHI) to coordinate care have increasingly gravitated toward text messaging over the past few years because of its familiarity and ability to provide constant connectivity. According to Pew Research, 81 percent of all Americans send and receive textmessageson their mobile phones. Pew also notesthat texting is currently the leading activity on mobile phones.
However, traditional text messaging applications are inherentlynonsecure and noncompliant under the HIPAA security rule. This lack of security creates a significant liability for hospitals and other healthcare providers, as a single unsecured text message about a patient could result in fines ashigh as $50,000.
“Communicating quickly and effectively is critical to ensuring high qualitycare coordination and collaboration among care team members across the continuum,” said Siva Subramanian, Ph.D., senior vice president of mobile products at Zynx Health. “Texting fits very easily into clinicians’ workflows, which is why its use is rapidly growing. ZynxCarebook provides that extra level of security and protection necessary for providers to meet regulatory compliance while guaranteeing the usability that led them to choose to communicate via text in the first place.”
The mobile application, available on iOS and Android, offers newsecurity controls such as employee personal identification number (PIN) lock and active directory auto-synchronization designed to ensure that all messages sent within the app are delivered to an approved recipient and protected in accordance with healthcare regulations. Additional usability features include secure group messaging and segregated alerts, which categorize messages as patient-related or other. These capabilities promote more effective care team communication, yielding faster messaging response times, improved care transitions and patient throughput, and reduced discharge time.
“At ValleyCare we are working to bridge the chasm of traditionalcommunication by implementing a mobile communication platform so we can communicate in real time when necessary,” said Carlos Gracia, M.D., medical director of clinical informatics at ValleyCare Health System in Pleasanton, Calif. “If physicians are busy,they should be empowered to respond promptly and effectively. Otherwise, long-standing problems such as errors, communication issues and care delays will continue. That status quo is not acceptable and can no longer be tolerated in healthcare.”
To learn more about ZynxCarebook, visit zynxhealth.com/Solutions/Zynx-Carebook or schedule a live demo.
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About Zynx Health
Zynx Health, part of the Hearst Health network, is the pioneer andmarket leader in evidence- and experience-based clinical improvement and mobile care solutions that provide the care guidance to enhance quality, improve care coordination, and decrease variation across an individual’s health journey. With Zynx Health, healthcare organizations exceed industry demands for delivering high-quality care at lower costs under value-based reimbursement models. Zynx Health partners with healthcare organizations to continuously and measurably improve care every day, for every patient, every time. To learn more, visit zynxhealth.com or call 855.367.ZYNX.
About Hearst Health
ZynxHealth is part of the Hearst Health network, which also includes FDB(First Databank), MCG and Homecare Homebase, and Hearst HealthInternational. The mission of the Hearst Health network is to help guide the most important care moments by delivering vital information into the hands of everyone who touches a person’s health journey. Each year in the U.S., care guidance from the Hearst Health network reaches 84 percent of discharged patients, 174 million insured individuals, 35 million home health visits, and 4 billion prescriptions. Extensions of the Hearst Health network include Hearst Health Ventures and the Hearst Health Innovation Lab. www.hearsthealth.com
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