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.

It is the physician's responsibility to monitor and supervise the medical assistant and ensure he or she is working within the scope of practice.

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.

According to local health authorities, staff can safely manage patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) through appropriate screening of febrile patients and by observing recommended isolation and infection control procedures.