For those providers with patients who are minors, it is important to understand how California law governs their treatment. It is wise to discuss these legal ramifications with patients and their parents prior to establishing the doctor/patient relationship.

As doctors continue to implement electronic medical records, it is important to ensure that a breach of privacy does not occur. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) encourages practices to safeguard medical records with passwords, encryption, business associate agreements, staff in-services, and policies and procedures.

As SMS services use the public telephone network and equipment unless encrypted, they are not HIPAA secure. Many SMS services on the market tender their encryption safeguards and HIPAA secure environments. However, a thorough investigation and understanding of these services prior to any contracting is a must.

When choosing a vendor, ask all pertinent questions. For instance, history of the vendor, current and past clients, ownership of data, past legal issues, cost, and responsibility for accuracy of data. Always obtain a list of references.

Even if the business does not participate in social media, most employees use social media in their personal lives. When social media is left unmonitored, medical offices also face the very real risk of violating federal privacy laws by breaching patient confidentiality.