SMS vs. Secure Texting in Healthcare What's Safer?

The healthcare industry is expanding rapidly these days, and providers must communicate effectively with both patients and their staff. In the current digital era, technology offers a great deal of benefits to healthcare professionals, including video visits, messaging, emailing, and a variety of mobile applications. While it makes the provider's job easier, it's crucial to remember that conversations may contain protected health information (PHI), and they must meet specific HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) requirements to ensure compliance, privacy, and, most importantly, data security to prevent leaks. Many clinicians rely on digital tools to coordinate patient care and treatment.

Why Data Security and HIPAA Compliance Are Critical in Clinical Communications

Trust, patient safety, and legal responsibility are essential to HIPAA compliance. Providers must ensure that all PHI transmissions are secure, whether they are sent via text, chat, telehealth, or digital forms. Sensitive information is exposed while using consumer texting applications; native SMS or email is not compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Non-compliance has several consequences, including: 

• The fees for violations range, depending on the purpose. Might reach even millions of dollars.
• Security breaches harm people's reputations and lower patient involvement.
• Organizations may face investigations or even serious criminal charges. 

Every platform used for internal or external communication in the healthcare industry must comply with administrative, technological, and physical precautions.

Also Read: Best Practices for Implementing HIPAA-secure Texting 

Understanding SMS and Secure Texting in Healthcare

Secure messaging differs from SMS in how it protects sensitive health information. 

Standard SMS is ubiquitous and used in everyday communication, but it does not meet HIPAA requirements. Messages are stored in plain text and often lack encryption during transmission. Telecom providers can access such information, creating serious vulnerabilities. SMS use in healthcare are strictly prohibited. 

A secure healthcare messaging platform is specifically designed for use in healthcare. Such digital tools typically include encrypted, authenticated, and trackable communication between providers, patients, and staff. Features often include message expiration, remote wipe, user access controls, audit logs, and integration with electronic health records (EHRs). With that being said, secure texting tools are often considered HIPAA-compliant, designed to protect PHI, whereas SMS is not. These platforms provide healthcare communication compliance.

The Role of PHI and HIPAA: Why Security Matters

Although technology can provide numerous advantages and often streamlines workflows, it is essential to be mindful of security. In healthcare, this is not an option; it is the law. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a set of laws that allows organizations to protect patient information. HIPAA texting rules are significantly important. PHI (Protected Health Information) includes identifiable patient data such as their full names, date of birth, and address. If someone sends a simple text message containing personal information, such as a patient's social security number, the organization will face serious consequences. A breach that compromises a patient's trust may result in legal action. Therefore, it is important that any healthcare organization takes every precaution to ensure confidentiality.

Security Comparison: SMS vs. Secure Texting

Encryption Standards

• SMS: This service lacks end-to-end encryption. Messages are transmitted and stored in plain text in transit, and telecom carriers can maintain copies without encryption, exposing sensitive data.
  
• Secure Texting: This method utilizes advanced encryption protocols, such as TLS (Transport Layer Security) and AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), to protect messages during transit and storage. Applications like QliqSOFT take it a step further with Cloud Pass-Thru™ technology, never storing PHI on their servers but securely transmitting it to authorized endpoints.

Data Storage & Access Controls

• SMS: Not appropriate for healthcare use due to its lack of encryption and other security measures.
• Secure Texting: Provides strong authentication and access control mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and PIN locks. This guarantees that only authorized staff can access and use sensitive patient data.

Compliance Regulations

• SMS: It does not comply with HIPAA's requirement for storage or transmission of PHI. Due to factors that range from unauthorized access to the absence of encryption, no audit trail, and no message retention tracking capability, SMS risks in healthcare are all too real. They can cause data breaches and non-compliance fines.
  
• Secure Texting: This app must comply with the company's policies, including audit trails, user-level controls, and business associate agreements (BAAs), and is designed for HIPAA-compliant messaging. This is the most secure messaging app.

What Are the Risks of Standard SMS in Healthcare?

Using SMS in a healthcare setting is not recommended because it can expose the organization to various security and compliance risks. This can lead to unauthorized access since unintended recipients can view and read texts. There is also a lack of auditability because there are no secure tracks of read receipts, and the messages can’t be tracked. In addition, if someone’s phone is stolen or lost, all of the messages stored on personal devices can be exposed.

What Are the Benefits of Secure Text Messaging Platforms?

By providing features and protections tailored to the healthcare industry, secure messaging services address the drawbacks of SMS. Some of the advantages include guaranteed protection of messages. User authentication is provided with strong passwords, and remote device management. Such messages are easily trackable, allowing one to identify who sent or received each message. It is also important to note that these platforms can be integrated with EHR systems.

To illustrate, QliqSOFT is a secure platform offering comprehensive, HIPAA-compliant texting in healthcare. This app enables encrypted communication between the provider and the patient. It also includes secure digital intake forms, chatbot automation, and full administrative oversight. 

Since QliqSOFT utilizes Cloud Pass-Thru™ encryption, patients don’t have to worry about their personal information being leaked, as PHI is never stored on QliqSOFT servers. Healthcare companies often utilize QliqSOFT to streamline workflows, increase patient satisfaction, and significantly reduce phone calls, all while simplifying secure communications.

Also Read: Improve the Patient Experience with Secure Texting

Key Considerations Before Choosing the Right Secure Texting Solution

Healthcare organizations should consider these factors when evaluating secure texting platforms:

• Compliance Standards
  What is the typical compliance standard? Does the platform include end-to-end encryption, audit logs, and access controls?
• Data Storage
  Who is responsible for the PHI? Can data be archived on-site or in a HIPAA-compliant cloud?
• User Friendly
  Is the platform user-friendly for clinical staff and patients? Does it require training? If so, is the training informative? 
• Integration
  Can the platform be integrated with EHRs, telehealth, call schedules, and intake forms?
• Deployment Time
  Can the solution be implemented quickly? Will it grow to meet the demands of your company?
• Support & Reliability
  Is the vendor experienced in healthcare? Do they offer assistance with implementation?

Final Thoughts

Healthcare communication must be highly secure to prevent compromise. SMS lacks the security that's necessary to process PHI safely. Secure texting app bridges this gap by providing HIPAA-compliant technology that safeguards data, ensures compliance, and simplifies care coordination. Those platforms that are created with scalability, clinical effectiveness, and privacy must be the priority for healthcare organizations if they intend to improve communication.