Telehealth is one of the best technologies to provide high-quality healthcare service to patients by using an online, telephone, and text messaging system. These services include diagnoses, consultation, treatment, management and provide education in regards to patient and public healthcare. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, remote care services are in demand among people and healthcare because of safety concerns. Many organizations are racing to implement telehealth services as the pandemic has opened medical care. Telehealth offers patient care during a coronavirus outbreak. Telehealth is a valuable tool for patients and has the ability to increase access care while often reducing costs.

Innovated connected health organizations are giving promising solutions to many of them who are facing challenges in health care delivery. Many people are afraid to use telehealth services so a telehealthcare provider needs to show that they have sufficient action plans to protect their data privacy and cybersecurity..Now the government is creating an easy path for doctors and nurses to do video chat with the patient by lifting privacy and security compliance penalties and enforcement action against the healthcare service provider. Moreover, government-provided HIPPA (Health insurance portability and accountability act) and other law protocol, which is very useful for internal security and privacy auditing on the healthcare system.

Telehealth Privacy and Confidential Data

A telehealth consultation software involves with sharing the patient information so that healthcare provider has a much of the responsibility to ensure your privacy during video chat. Due to privacy, telehealth involves with lack of controls, information, use, and disclosure of information. Many times healthcare providers are fixed sensors in a patient’s home to track their medical condition and it may be inadvertently collecting sensitive information about the household. When healthcare providers are collecting the information privately means conducting the consultation in the right way that no one can see and hear the consultation. They can send the information securely means no one has the right to access the data except patient and consultant. Make sure that you have to follow all of your instructions provided by telehealthcare.

Patient’s Routine transmission can collect and stored by application or device manufacturer, not the healthcare provider. Healthcare provider systems generally manage the privacy aspects so patients can do video visit from anywhere. Although this new technology assures to provide quality care, cost-effective facility, and increase patient satisfaction with the rising number of ethical issues. Confidentially is usually  protected by legalization or government policies that enforce the fair information practice principle ( FIPPs). The use of telehealth service, including video conferencing and text messaging, in dealing with the COVID-19 can help lessen the demand on on-site healthcare resources while keeping sick or quarantined patients at a safe distance.

This new reality means physicians, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers must consider telehealth services to evaluate patients for possible testing and monitor those who are sick. Due to coronavirus health emergencies, more people require other medical assistance and medical health therapy with the privacy aspect. Now healthcare providers are encouraged to notify patients that third party applications have the potential to protect their privacy.

Telehealth Security Concern

The telehealth tool allows the organization to authenticate the user and the device, which is using for security posture. Telehealth system companies need to create a minimum-security requirement for the device and communication that will allows the doctor, nurse, contractor, and administrator to access and application or resource. A number of existing clinical controls can protect against these security risks. Final security control for telehealth software and device involves initially disturbing them to the patient face-to-face setting. This enables the provider to establish the identity of the patient and authenticate the device he or she uses.

The Federal trade commission (FTC) has expertise in privacy and technical issue related to security to create enforcing consumer protection law and supporting innovation. Data encryption is the place where data can be safely stored and the help of complex arithmetic and encryption, it is ensured that no one has tampered with the raw data. Advanced encryption standard and encrypting data at rest generally dependent on the encryption methods, which is provided by the operating system and browser. 

They also enlist the stakeholder, manufacture creating a voluntary code of conduct for protecting privacy and security, and protect from legal action to entities that operate under these codes. To minimize these risks, the healthcare provider must ensure the patient understands the privacy and security concerns associated with telehealth services. Moreover, companies are on the move to install telehealth application and to meet the demand driven by the coronavirus outbreak; this may lead to ignoring the important control necessary to maintain security and confidentiality of information.

Conclusion

Telehealth is a wide variety of solutions, and evolving and thriving field of mobile, computing, and networking that holds clear promise for healthcare reform. However, serious privacy and security concerns in healthcare may reduce its capabilities. Many people are using the telehealth system despite their concern about the privacy and security of their health information. It provides point to point solution such as telephone, texting photos are the easy way to secure technically as there is the minimum point that a third party could monitor the call.

The extensive standard and regulation need to assure robust privacy and security, it not only for telehealth but also for all electronic consumer details. Some people believe the benefit of using telehealth outweighs the risk, especially in chronic disease. During the coronavirus, many people need to go home quarantine so telehealth can perform a quick self-assessment on their telehealth system. The assessment result can be used to identify possible vulnerabilities in the telehealth system and practice to patients the sufficient security and privacy protection to patients’ data.

Softgrid Computers Indore can create a remote care platform that can handle all patient’s healthcare needs. We can develop the applications for the healthcare system to connect clinicians and patient in real-time so they can consult and follow-up with virtual visit. Even our platform can provide evaluate, diagnose and treatment for patient without global limitation.