Mobile messaging communication in health care: Rules, regulations, penalties, and safety of provider use

» Electronic communication has become pervasive throughout modern health care and has dramatically increased accessibility to health information.» Tools such as personal short message service (SMS), or text, communication provide instantaneous information and have changed the management of patient care.» Breach of privacy is a major concern, particularly with the transmission and communication of electronic protected health information.» In the United States, key components of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) relate to electronic communication, as do those of the Department of Health and Human Services Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, with penalties for noncompliance.