HIPAA Social Media Compliance

What does your office staff post on Facebook and Twitter?

The wave of social media is almost impossible to stop, especially at work. The problem is, employees who irresponsibly use social media can potentially invite some serious HIPAA violations.

Watch this 60-second video to learn HIPAA compliant social media practices.

Did you hear about the nurse who was fired for an angry Facebook post?

At Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, Michigan, a nurse bad-mouthed a man (who was accused of killing a police officer) being treated at her hospital via a strongly worded Facebook status update. Although she didn’t use his name or inform which hospital he was treated at, it wouldn’t take a genius to piece together the clues she left. As a general rule, if you wouldn’t say it in public, don’t post it online.

‍Create a social media policy

‍Social media is all about sharing, and HIPAA is all about keeping information private. Coexistence is possible, as long as a strict set of rules are followed. Your HIPAA social media policy should discuss social media rules for both work devices and personal ones.

Implement your policy

Implementing a policy means more than just dropping a document-filled binder on your employee’s desk. It means conducting regular employee policy training meetings and being available to answer questions about proper social media usage.

You might also be interested in: How to Send HIPAA Compliant Emails