HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) is U.S. legislation created to improve healthcare standards. Covered entities (CEs) and their business associates (BAs) must be HIPAA compliant to protect the rights and privacy of patients and their protected health information (PHI). We know the HIPAA industry is vast and that sending important documents securely to other providers or to patients is fundamental to patient care. This is especially true with the recent digital transformation in healthcare and the current need to function more remotely. RELATED: Historic Expansions of Telehealth to Combat COVID-19 Today, we will determine if SRFax is HIPAA compliant or not.
About SRFax
Headquartered in British Columbia, Canada, SRFax is one of several online fax service providers that offer fax numbers for sending and receiving faxes through a web portal, by email, and/or even via mobile apps. SRFax clients can use the company’s web interface or a personal email account to send faxes. Founded in 2004, there are six subscription plans that include additional fax pages, users per account, and fax numbers. SRFax also offers customizable plans for healthcare organizations to help with HIPAA compliance.SRFax and the business associate agreement
A BA is a person or entity that performs certain functions or activities that involves the use or disclosure of PHI on behalf of a CE. In this instance, SRFax is a BA for a healthcare organization if it transmits or stores PHI. RELATED: Is a Name PHI? Generally, the HIPAA Privacy Rule allows CEs to disclose PHI to a BA if they receive assurance that the information is protected through a signed business associate agreement (BAA). According to its Security & Privacy web pages, SRFax will sign a BAA. Moreover, SRFax is emphatic that all faxes sent and received comply with HIPAA and PHIPA (Canadian legislation, Personal Health Information Protection Act).SRFax and security
SRFax appears committed to safeguarding sensitive information (i.e., PHI) and “provides several robust security measures to keep your account safe” such as: 1) Single sign-on and two-factor authentication 2) Encrypted session ID cookies 3) End-to-end encryption 4) Secure Sockets Layer certification 5) Application security 6) Physical safeguards RELATED: Increase Online Security With a Robust Password Policy All settings and controls depend on the client’s plan and are adjustable by the user. For example, a client can choose to delete all fax data once a call is terminated.Free Whitepaper "Kill the Fax"