When it comes to ensuring organizations are meeting—and exceeding—requirements for data security and privacy, it starts with education. First, there needs to be a standardized method of educating not only healthcare providers but also medical students on the value of digital healthcare. This means a strong emphasis on rules and regulations for security, technology standards, and “webside manner,” to help ensure patients are receiving safe and quality care.

Beyond standards, healthcare providers must have the appropriate skills and knowledge to effectively provide digital services. Leaders can rely on their telehealth vendor for support in this area, including ongoing education and training on security and privacy regulations and requirements. This includes provider training on informed consent. It can also mean implementing automated workflow steps that require patients to provide approvals prior to every appointment to certify that they understand their provider’s privacy standards.

Next, prior to choosing a telehealth solution, large healthcare organizations should confirm their vendor’s software is healthcare security compliant in their country and state. This requirement is table-stakes for both telehealth vendors and healthcare organizations. In the US, this means organizations need to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Once compliance is confirmed, leaders look at ways their telehealth vendor ensures security on top of the minimum requirements. Vendors can do this several ways, like building native virtual care apps that are installed directly on both a provider and patient’s device instead of being accessed through an unsecured browser. Furthermore, patient data should be stored on servers in their home country for additional security, with regular third-party audits to verify the vendor’s ongoing compliance.