If your doctor’s office is active on social media please follow the guidelines below.

HIPAA Social Media Guidelines

Listed below are some basic HIPAA social media guidelines to follow in your organization, with links to further information to help ensure compliance with HIPAA rules.

Develop clear policies covering social media use and ensure all employees are aware of how HIPAA relates to social media platforms
Train all staff on acceptable social media use as part of HIPAA training and conduct refresher training sessions annually
Provide examples to staff on what is acceptable – and what is not – to improve understanding
Communicate the possible penalties for social media HIPAA violations – termination, loss of license, and criminal penalties
Ensure all new uses of social media sites are approved by your compliance department
Review and update your policies on social media annually
Develop policies and procedures on use of social media for marketing, including standardizing how marketing takes place on social media accounts
Develop a policy that requires personal and corporate accounts to be totally separated
Create a policy that requires all social media posts to be approved by your legal or compliance department prior to posting
Monitor your organization’s social media accounts and communications and implement controls that can flag potential HIPAA violations
Maintain a record of social media posts using your organization’s official accounts that preserves posts, edits, and the format of social media messages
Do not enter into social media discussions with patients who have disclosed PHI on social media.
Encourage staff to report any potential HIPAA violations
Ensure social media accounts are included in your organization’s risk assessments
Ensure appropriate access controls are in place to prevent unauthorized use of corporate social media accounts
Moderate all comments on social media platforms

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has issued guidance on HIPAA social media regulations, detailing the specific aspects of HIPAA that apply to social media networks.

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