AMA STEPS Forward®

Pearl of the week: Risks of text messaging

Understanding information and technology in health care

| 1 Min Read
STEPS Forward Pearl of the Week

Busy physicians naturally want a quick and easy way to communicate about their patients. But using text messaging can be a significant source of risk, said Margaret Lozovatsky, MD, FAMI, vice president of Digital Health Innovations at the AMA. To reduce the risk of a breach of protected health information, it is important to consider what constitutes PHI. Even a texted description of a patient that does not include their name or a room number is a breach of PHI. 

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