Creating telehealth
success stories
for small practices:
Security and
integration

While telehealth was already growing in popularity before 2020, the response to the pandemic can be seen as one of the many telehealth success stories. Telemedicine expanded access to care, reduced COVID exposure to staff and patients and helped to preserve scarce equipment supplies.

That said, secure telehealth technology still has its challenges. So, as you consider costs and which staff will be involved in using telehealth technology, it's also important to prioritize robust security and integration with your existing systems.

While telehealth offers the potential to reach patients in ways you haven't before, it can also open you up to vulnerabilities.

Telehealth and telemedicine systems are attractive to cyber criminals for one main reason—they can be an outlet to valuable patient information. Since telemedicine solutions typically incorporate use of patient personal devices, providers must be cautious. Telemedicine can put you and your patients at risk of theft of social security numbers, unauthorized access to treatment history and even ransomware and denial of service attacks that interrupt your ability to provide care.

More than half of telemedicine providers reported cases where patients refused to participate due to technology, privacy or security concerns. This emphasizes how telehealth success stories involve prioritizing security. Some best practices include:

Make sure any staff working in-office or remotely have access to secure devices, including laptops, desktops and smartphones. These devices should support regular software updates and ideally use two-factor authentication.

When comparing telehealth providers, keep a list of security-critical features that you'd like to see when building your shortlist. Consider features such as:

• Modern access controls and moderator controls
• Encryption and locked meetings
• Privacy checks
• Fraud detection

For businesses striving to be another star in a line of telehealth success stories, remember: Secure telehealth isn't just a tech question. People play an important role in reducing risk for your patients. Make sure your staff understands the vulnerabilities around telehealth and the simple steps they can take to protect patients and patient information.

Any telehealth solution you adopt will need to support your HIPAA compliance program goals.  Seek validation from your vendor that their solution has been rigorously audited to meet HIPAA privacy and security standards and that they are willing to sign a business associate agreement to support those claims.

The best telehealth success stories prioritize EHR integration. This can be through solutions that your EHR or practice management software providers already offer or by working with a vendor that's already familiar with your chosen platform.

By choosing a platform that's already integrated with your EHR, you'll have a framework that will prevent record duplication. However, one challenge with many of these solutions is that legacy EHR and practice management solutions were developed before the age of telemedicine, which may stunt your use of virtual visits.

Standalone services tend to be more advanced but will require more work and research to ensure seamless integration.

You have a range of solutions in front of you, so don't be afraid to tap into organizations you already trust for guidance. For example, to increase the number of telehealth success stories, the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP) offers a toolkit and list of solutions for primary care practices.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also provides resources for providers interested in learning more about telehealth. Additionally, individual states have guidelines, such as this one from Florida for example, will help you navigate state-specific security and billing challenges.

Learn more about how your practice can provide next-generation virtual care.