HIPAA Compliance and AcuPerfect Websites

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Our Approach

At AcuPerfect Websites we understand the importance of HIPAA compliance and protecting sensitive patient information.  We strive to make sure your website has the tools and features you need to be HIPAA complaint.

We would like to provide you with an overview of how our website service for acupuncturists meets the requirements of HIPAA compliance and the responsibility to patients.

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How to utilize AcuPerfect Websites for a HIPAA Compliant Practice

All AcuPerfect websites are designed with security in mind, ensuring that no patient data is stored on our hosting servers. This means that a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is not required for HIPAA compliance when using AcuPerfect Websites. 

While our platform can be used in a HIPAA-compliant manner, maintaining compliance is ultimately the responsibility of the practitioner and their patients. Practitioners must manage HIPAA-sensitive data correctly, as compliance is dictated by their actions and decisions. 

Let’s take a deeper dive into HIPAA Compliance and how we can work towards keeping patient data safe. Here’s what we’ll cover.

Website Analytics and HIPAA

HIPAA COMPLIANCE & RESPONSIBILITY

Online Scheduling and HIPAA

AcuPerfect Website and Acusimple partnershipWe partner with Acusimple.com to offer an online scheduling solution that meets HIPAA requirements. Acusimple ensures that patient data is securely managed, with a HIPAA-compliant patient messaging portal. When we embed Acusimple’s scheduling tool into your AcuPerfect website, all patient data is stored on Acusimple’s servers, not ours. Both AcuPerfect Websites and Acusimple are secured with SSL encryption, ensuring that all transmitted information is protected.

You can learn more about Acusimple and their HIPAA compliant features here:
https://acusimple.com/features.php

Hushmail.com HIPAA-Compliant Email

HushmailWe’re pleased to announce our partnership with Hushmail to offer HIPAA-compliant email services as part of your AcuPerfect Websites plan.

Hushmail for Healthcare is your all-in-one solution for secure client and patient communication.

  • Send encrypted emails to your clients and patients
  • Get completed intake forms and consent agreements delivered to your Inbox

Hushmail for Healthcare comes configured for HIPAA compliance right out of the box.

SAVE 10% OFF – Lifetime Discount
As an AcuPerfect Websites client, you can enjoy a 10% discount on all Hushmail plans. Explore Hushmail’s HIPAA-compliant options and pricing here…

Email and HIPAA Compliance

email, icon, mailFor HIPAA-compliant email communications, we recommend using Google’s paid service, which is specifically designed to meet HIPAA standards. Practitioners should always obtain patient consent before discussing personal health information (PHI) via email and should offer a more secure communication method if preferred by the patient.

You can learn more about Google’s HIPAA Compliant email service here: https://workspace.google.com/industries/healthcare/

For further guidance on HIPAA-compliant email practices, you can refer to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ guidelines here:
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/faq/570/does-hipaa-permit-health-care-providers-to-use-email-to-discuss-health-issues-with-patients/index.html

Hushmail.com HIPAA Compliant Email Solution

We're pleased to announce our partnership with Hushmail to offer HIPAA-compliant email services as part of your AcuPerfect Websites plan.

Hushmail for Healthcare is your all-in-one solution for secure client and patient communication.

  • Send encrypted emails to your clients and patients
  • Get completed intake forms and consent agreements delivered to your Inbox
Hushmail for Healthcare comes configured for HIPAA compliance right out of the box.

SAVE 10% OFF
As an AcuPerfect Websites client, you can enjoy a 10% discount on all Hushmail plans. Explore Hushmail's HIPAA-compliant options and pricing here:
SAVE 10%

Email Marketing and HIPAA

email marketing newsletterWhen sending email marketing campaigns, the content determines whether HIPAA compliance is necessary. For general health and wellness emails that do not include personal patient information (PPI), a service like Mailchimp can be used.

However, if your emails contain PPI, a HIPAA-compliant email client, such as the one offered by Google, should be used instead. Acusimple also provides HIPAA-compliant email services for individual and group communications, making it a suitable option for practices that need to send sensitive information via email.

You can learn more about Mailchimp and HIPAA here:
https://mailchimp.com/resources/hipaa-compliant-email/

Website Analytics and HIPAA

electronics, mobile phone, screenGoogle Analytics, while useful for tracking website traffic, is not HIPAA compliant. If installed on your AcuPerfect website, it should not be connected to any system that stores PPI, such as your scheduling software.

Practitioners have the option to request that Google Analytics not be installed on their AcuPerfect website to further ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations.

You can learn more about Google Analytics and HIPAA compliance here:
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/13297105?hl=en

Web Forms and HIPAA

user interface websiteWe include disclaimers under contact forms on our websites to warn patients against submitting PPI, as these forms are not HIPAA compliant. However, if a patient chooses to submit PPI through the form, the data is not stored on our servers, mitigating any potential risk.

Practitioners utilizing our service have the capability to create web forms on their AcuPerfect website. It is essential that practitioners take full responsibility for ensuring that these forms comply with HIPAA regulations. The responsibility for maintaining HIPAA compliance rests solely with the practitioner, and the website provider bears no liability in this regard.

PPI Responsibility and HIPAA Compliance

Female relatives sitting on wooden benchHIPAA compliance is a critical aspect of running a healthcare practice, and it is the responsibility of practitioners to ensure that they use technology in a compliant manner. While AcuPerfect Websites provides a secure platform and partners with third-party software services that offer HIPAA-compliant tools, the ultimate responsibility for compliance lies with the practitioners themselves and how they utilize this technology. 

These third-party services, such as Acusimple for online scheduling and Google for HIPAA-compliant email, are integrated into AcuPerfect Websites to support practitioners in maintaining compliance. However, liability for the proper use of these tools and adherence to HIPAA guidelines rests with the practitioner, not with AcuPerfect Websites. 

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Need help creating high quality website for your practice?

AcuPerfect Websites offers website plans for all budgets. Our websites rank well in search results and our features can help save you time and money, accelerate your patient attraction and enable you to manage your practice easier.

We’d be grateful to join you on your practice journey by helping you attract new patients to your practice, so you can do what you love, treat more patients.

Learn more about our website plans for acupuncturists here.

Ben, Ken and Ian
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