The Bridge Blog

Telehealth may have gotten much more attention since COVID-19, but in reality, it has been around for many years with steadily growing popularity. Since the recent pandemic did so much to popularize telehealth services¹, healthcare providers are turning to telehealth companies for the convenient online services that patients now appreciate…Read more

Updated on March 28, 2023 In order for a communications platform to be considered HIPAA compliant, it must fulfill the following requirements: Employ end-to-end encryption Implement access control Enable audit controls  Sign a business associate agreement (BAA) Recommended:  Zoom® is a HIPAA compliant telehealth software WhatsApp® provides end-to-end encryption, but…Read more

Updated on March 22, 2023 Patient portal proxy access allows caregivers or legal guardians to access their dependents’ patient portals. Studies¹ have shown that patients generally see benefits once caregivers have access to the information and functions within their patient portal, such as health literacy and medical emergency assistance. Proxy…Read more

Updated on March 20, 2023. Given the growing interest in video conferencing services for communicating with patients online, healthcare organizations often come to Bridge Patient Portal, a patient engagement vendor, to ask an important question: Is Skype™ HIPAA compliant?  Previously, there were two versions of Skype™ commercially available: Consumer Skype™…Read more

Updated on March 15, 2023 Improving processes within a healthcare organization is a top priority for most practice managers and hospital administrators these days. With patients calling the office to schedule appointments, request prescription refills, and find out test results, staff members have a lot on their plate.  Almost half…Read more

Bridge is proud to announce we have achieved 21st Century Cures Act (g)(10) FHIR API certification from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on November 29th, 2022. This new certification is recognized as the most stringent one to date under the 21st Century Cures Act…Read more

China and other emerging markets take the global lead in mHealth (mobile health) use, despite apparent disadvantages. The digital revolution has transformed society and many industries along with it, but healthcare, despite its importance, lags behind many other sectors in the adoption of game-changing technology. The introduction of mHealth—that is,…Read more

Over the last two years, the US government has relaxed regulations covering the use of video conferencing software for telehealth in an effort to facilitate the increased number of online doctor appointments. New guidelines¹ on HIPAA requirements were released by The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in early…Read more

Updated On October 19, 2022. What Is HIPAA? The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)¹ protects patients’ privacy by limiting access to Protected Health Information (PHI) and governing acceptable use of their health data. The HIPAA Privacy Rule² comprises national regulations for using and disclosing PHI in healthcare treatment,…Read more

Updated On September 20, 2022. Healthcare data is becoming an increasingly popular target of hackers¹ as they innovate their techniques to access this valuable and sensitive information. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), healthcare breaches from January to May of 2022 nearly doubled² from the…Read more