Hipaa Rules For Sending Medical Records by Postal Mail Address

 Sending medical records by postal mail is an important way to share patient health information, but you must follow certain regulations to avoid violating the HIPAA rules. First of all, HIPAA requires covered entities to provide electronic copies of records to patients. Additionally, physicians and hospitals can charge patients for these electronic copies. Nonetheless, sending these records by postal mail is not always the best option. There are a few reasons why.

First, consider the mail piece. Does it contain a private piece of information? If so, consider using a letter package or a self-mailer. Postcards can expose sensitive information, so choose a letter package or self-mailer to prevent it from exposing it. For marketing communications, consider using standard mail. However, you may want to consider using first-class mail in some cases because it gives the recipient a better sense of control over the delivery process. Certified postal mail also offers higher levels of security.

Additionally, HIPAA mailing medical records has recently made the news. Several organizations have been fined by the HHS Office for Civil Rights for improperly releasing PHI. Therefore, it is important to know the rules before mailing medical records. However, you can still avoid violating the HIPAA rules by following the steps outlined in this article. So, if you're planning to send medical records by postal mail, be sure to check with the HHS Office for Civil Rights before mailing patient records.