As you know, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects your patients. In particular, the HIPAA Privacy Rule gives people control over how their health information is used for marketing. This offers a few challenges for those who work in healthcare communications.
First of all, you should know the HIPAA Privacy Rule defines marketing as communication about products or services that encourage the message receiver to purchase or use these products or services.
Also, the privacy rule requires you to get a patient’s permission for all use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI). You must do this before you use it for marketing. A few exceptions exist, but it can get a little confusing. These examples may help.
HIPAA and websites
HIPAA and social media
HIPAA and mailing lists
HIPAA and email marketing
If you are worried about compliance, you can get assistance. The Coffey team has experts in healthcare marketing strategy who know the rules. Call 888.805.9101 or email us to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals.
The original version of this page was published at: https://www.coffeycomm.com/resources/posts/marketing-with-hipaa-what-you-can-and-can-t-do/
Coffey Communications is a leading provider of content marketing tools for hospitals and health plans across the country. Our digital solutions include website design, SEO and social media publishing.
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