HIPAA Compliant Email for Therapists | Make G Suite HIPAA Secure
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 มิ.ย. 2024
- HIPAA Compliant Email for Therapists | Make G Suite HIPAA Secure
FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling:
tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8
G Suite Options:
gsuite.google.com/pricing.html
Connect your domain to G Suite: support.google.com/a/answer/7...
UPDATE: The process of signing the BAA is slightly different now with Google Workspace. Watch the update video showing you how to do that here:
• Google Workspace for T...
Google’s Guide: “G Suite and Cloud Identity; HIPAA Implementation Guide.” static.googleusercontent.com/...
When it comes to using email in private practice, HIPAA is top of mind for most of us. But it’s not always clear how to make sure your email is HIPAA-secure. I’m personally a big fan of G Suite, so in this video I break down step-by-step how to make your G Suite HIPAA-Secure.
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This video is geared for therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field.
Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.
www.privatepracticeskills.com
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Music Credit:
"Digitally Speaking" by Ikson
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This video is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.
If you haven’t heard of G Suite, it’s Google’s suite of services (such as gmail, docs, calendar, forms, and more) adapted for businesses.
In my opinion, G Suite is a great option for therapists in private practice.
In order to make any online software HIPAA-secure, you need to be in an BAA Agreement.
What is a BAA?
BAA stands for Business Associate Agreement. A BAA is a legal contract between a healthcare provider and a contractor. HIPAA requires that all healthcare providers enter a BAA contract when exchanging protected health information (or PHI) with a contractor.
In short, if you want to use any type of software to transmit PHI, HIPAA requires that you enter a BAA contract with the contractor of that software.
This means ALL of us intending to use email to contact our clients must sign a BAA with our email service providers in order to be HIPAA compliant
In the case of G Suite, you as the healthcare provider must enter a BAA contract with Google in order for the platform to be considered HIPAA-Secure.
How to sign a BAA with Google
G Suite only offers the BAA option to those using the paid version. At the time of this recording, G Suite costs $6 per month - a total steal of a deal!
1. Choose a G Suite Option. There are a few price points for G Suite. Pick the one that works best for you and set up an account. I’ve linked to this page in the description box
2. Continue with the Setup Process. I’ve linked below to a page that walks you through linking your G Suite to your website. I highly encourage setting this up from early on so you can have an account that ends with your name
3. Sign into Google Admin Console at admin.google.com
4. Click “Company Profile”
5. Click “Show More”
6. Click “Legal & Compliance”
7. At the bottom, in “Security and Privacy Additional Terms” click “review and accept” under “G Suite/Cloud Identity HIPAA Business Associate Amendment”
8. Answer the questions and click, “I accept.”
Just because a platform is HIPAA secure, it’s still possible to use the platform in ways that are not HIPAA-Compliant.
I hope you found this helpful as you set up HIPAA-secure email through G Suite. Until next time, from one therapist to another: I wish you well!
UPDATE: The process of signing the BAA is slightly different now with Google Workspace. Watch the update video showing you how to do that here: th-cam.com/video/fXhs6ic4Ams/w-d-xo.html
You are the best! And I have already begun sharing your video (and two others of yours) with fellow therapists. I subscribed and am going to leave a like and comment on all 3 of these videos, because I want to promote you and your channel. Thanks again for all this excellent, excellent help!
Email is one of the best ways that I teach all of my clients to stay connected with their patients. Great work
Thanks, it is such an important tool!
Thank you very much for this video. It would've taken me forever to find the HIPAA compliant BAA.
Exactly what I was looking for, and so EASY! Thank you for sharing! I’m a lactation consultant in private practice. Currently setting up my business using G Suite. Wish me luck. :-)
I'm glad this made it easy for you! And congrats on your practice! I have a 4 month old and my LC was a lifesaver
Your videos have been helping me so much as I start my practice. Thank you!
Yay! That makes me so happy!
Thank you so much!!! You are such a wealth of information! Exactly what I was looking for and needed! You’ve given me hope and always give such helpful knowledge!! Very appreciative!
Thank you so much for these most helpful videos. You have no idea how much I value your support!
Thank you for all your wonderful videos! As a new clinician I really appreciate these
It’s my pleasure, I’m so glad you find them helpful! ❤️
Just went through this and it is updated! It’s now under account settings and then Legal and Compliance! Super helpful thanks!
You're right! I just did an updated video covering this as well. Glad you were able to find it - it can be confusing!
This is really helpful! Would love to see you do a tutorial for clients exploring different insurance providers methods of reimbursement
Thanks for putting together this simple and helpful video!
Thanks. I knew that I needed a BAA but didn't know how to get it. Very helpful!
I'm glad this was helpful! It took me forever to figure this out when I got started.
Thanks so much for the info. In the process of getting everything set up for private practice so this is super helpful! Also love the outtakes! Lol... I also have to turn the AC off when I shoot videos since it is so loud. By the end I'm nearly a sweaty mess. 🔥🔥
I'm glad you find it helpful. And I feel so validating knowing I'm not the only one who sacrifices AC for the sake of TH-cam! 😅
This was so helpful and easy to follow! thank you!
Yay that was exactly my goal! It seemed so complicated to me when I first set mine up.
Thank you so much. I was just able to do it for my new PP.
Your videos are so incredibly helpful.
Yay! That’s certainly my goal :)
So helpful, Marie. Thank you
Easy and low price! Thank you for providing this information!
It still blows my mind how affordable it is!
Your video is so helpful as I'm working on building my practice step by step. It really helps when you have visuals to show us how to implement such programs. Thank you!
That’s so validating to hear! These were the things I was looking for before and it seemed like they didn’t exist. It’s exactly why I make these videos :)
@@PrivatePracticeSkills And I successfully accomplished what you taught in this video! :) Now on to google voice!
@@Enchanteralle Yay, so glad!
Great information. I’m a new sub and you are great sharing all of this.
Such an important topic and great tips!
Thank you for all the support!
thanks so much.. that was really simple with your help. I now a subcribers!
You are so awesome! thank you for this video :)
This is so helpful (takes note of everything!) thank you! 🙏🏼 hope you’re resting.
I'm so glad to hear! I am resting well, but I couldn't help sneak onto here and reply to comments awaiting baby's arrival! Best wishes :)
This video was very helpful. G suites now google workspace is very difficult to navigate.
you are awesome! thank you for this!
My pleasure! This was something I wish I had when I started our!
Oops. Started out :)
once we do this does google sent you out baa agreement? I am not sure if I did this right. Thank you I love your videos!
HIPAA-enabled G Suite is my fave because of all of the included apps and integration. I tried this other one called Hushmail before but the interface felt too 1990s AOL lol.
haha! I haven't used Hushmail before, but I love the throwback reference! I miss 90s pop culture, but I'm glad G Suite technology has progressed since then :)
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this is not secure email that you showed. It is just executing your HIPAA agreement with Google.
What other steps/tools are you adding to make G-suite fully HIPAA secured email? I am researching for our optometry practice and from what I've read so far, if a care provider is not using end-to-end encryption for email delivery, they need to get a signed disclosure from the patient, confirming that they agree to communicate in a potentially unsecured way.
Also, isn't archiving/retention/logs required to be fully HIPAA compliant too? The $6 plan does not include Google Vault and eDiscovery but the $12 plan does. My impression is that you need those add-ons to retain all communications up to 6 years, including ePHI included in emails of an employee that may have left your company.
@@khiemnguyen-trong7652 I believe you have to add end-to-end encryption. Gsuite, even with a BAA is only secure within within Gsuite - outgoing emails are not secure, as far as I know, unless you use an encrypting company. Virtu is one company that can work with Gsuite to make it secure... there are a few others as well.
Not actually HIPAA compliant in any sense. This is dangerous misinformation.
ROCKSTARRRR
Should we be accepting the other agreements found in that section?
Curious which teleprompter system you use for your videos.
Thanks for the video! Can G Suite keep medical records and provider documentation on these clients? Sort of like an online dashboard or the way an EHR does?
That's a great question! As far as I know, G Suite cannot be used as an EHR, but I don't actually know for sure!
Hi Marie, one of our clients is asking for us to provide a HIPAA certificate from Google. Do you know where to "download" a printable version where the name of our company is shown within the BAA?
Thank you so much for this super helpful video! Do you have any guidance regarding the steps we need to take according to the HIPAA Implementation guide? I've started going through it and gotten stumped in several places. Also- do you know if it is HIPAA-compliant to use TH-cam through G-Suite, or would I need to use a separate email to set that up?
It is a bit to sort through! I suppose the answer to your question about the implementation guide depends on how you're hoping to use Google services, and might be too lengthy to address in the TH-cam comments. As far as TH-cam, I don't imagine there are any scenarios where it would be appropriate to use TH-cam for client interactions, since it is both a search engine and a social media platform rather than some type of professional software. Is there a way you might imagine using TH-cam somehow to interact with clients?
@@PrivatePracticeSkills Thanks for responding! I am planning to use G Suite primarily for email. My plan with TH-cam was to create a channel connected to my practice as a marketing tool. Not for client interactions, but rather I'd provide educational videos about therapy or guided meditations, that kind of thing. I am still working my way through this guide, but decided not to use my G Suite email for my TH-cam channel because of what it says in the HIPAA Implementation guide. "All Non-Core Services not covered by your G Suite Agreement, including, for example, (without limitation) TH-cam, Blogger and Google Photos , must be disabled for G Suite users who manage PHI within the Included Functionality- unless covered by a separate BAA."
@@juliewrocklage9175 That's a great tip - glad you did the research!
Hello: I want to set up Google Workspace for my private practice. I am in the process of setting up and do not yet have a website or anything. When I am choosing a domain name, I am starting to get confused. Gsuite asks if I want to choose and purchase my own domain name. Are there other options to have your own without purchasing through Gsuite?
If I already have a Google Voice number, can I use that in G Suite? I had the number before beginning a practice.
So if I have a paid google workspace and my own domain, I can just email using my domain email? I don't have to use vault or any other thing that encrypts the email?
Do you use G Suite to book appointments? If so, would you consider doing a tutorial pls and thanks?
I haven't thus far! But it's possible I may give it a try in the future. If I do, I'll be sure to put up a tutorial!
I’m starting a private practice and want it to be HIPPA compliant so
I purchased a Domain, a Google business account and added Google voice . I paid for everything. I was at the point where Google was porting my cell number and it never went any further!
I need help….please.
I am new in this area. Am I required to have a business domain name to apply for G Suite?
Does G-Suite include a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform in Google Meet?
Thanks for the video! Do you like G Suite better than Hushmail?
So far I've only had experience with G Suite so I wouldn't be able to speak to Hushmail. Do you have experience using Hushmail?
@@PrivatePracticeSkills I have a trial of both G Suite and Hushmail. They both essentially seem to do the same thing and seem equally secure. I think one of the benefits of G Suite is the calendar and added things like that, as well as the familiarity (I use gmail for my personal email).
@@TabulaRasa16 It's good to know there are options that both work well!
G Suite is now called Google workspace and things seem to have changed. I do not see a company profile on the admin console. None of the articles in google's "support" have directed me to the place to review and accept the BAA. Any new info about this? Am I missing something crucial? Thanks
Found it in the account settings.
Do I have to have my own private practice/business to set up a domain and sign a BAA? I work for someone else who owns and runs the practice, but I want my own HIPAA compliant email address and phone number. Thank you.
You can absolutely do this! You'll need to invest in at least their $6/month plan, but you can definitely have your own HIPAA-secure email with G Suite and I know many therapists who do the same in group settings.
Is hangouts meet HIPAA compliant for telehealth? I noticed there is not an option for for password meetings. Client gets a link and that's it.
Video coming out on this this weekend! The short answer: it CAN be HIPAA-secure, if you have a BAA with G Suite. I have a video about how to do that: th-cam.com/video/A5JoY-Y_BMY/w-d-xo.html
Watch for my video about Google Meet this weekend!
I tried this. But after looking for the lock to show email is encrypted I don't see it. Are you sure that is all you do? Is there a waiting period for the agreement to be approved? thanks
I normally would not respond cause it none of my business but what she demonstrates here is just executing the HIPAA agreement with Google. This does not secure email nor encrypt.
Hi, I'm an Insurance broker and need HIPAA compliant emails, but what does this mean "Customer must have an existing Services Agreement in place for this BAA to be valid and effective."
I just responded and then deleted it because I’m not sure if it’s right. I would check with Square!
Just did this, sometimes Legal and Compliance might be located under 'Account Settings'
Yes, they've changed the process now with Google workspace. I have an update video going over it. Thanks for sharing! Here's that video: th-cam.com/video/fXhs6ic4Ams/w-d-xo.html
I’d just wanted to reach out to you. I run a Facebook group and TH-cam channel that I think could be synergistic. Anyway, I’d love to touch base with you.
Awesome, just checked out your channel. So glad you're diving in to the nitty gritty of G Suite for healthcare - we need more of these tutorials!
Private Practice Skills Thanks. In truth, the quality of your videos makes my efforts look quite elementary. A large percentage of my Facebook group are in mental health and I think they would like you’re content. I’d be interested in discussing this further. If you’d like, you’re welcome to reach out on the Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/gsuiteforhealthcareproviders/?ref=share
cheers