OhMD and HIPAA Compliance

Over 80% of healthcare providers already text messages that include protected health information. They text colleagues about patient cases. They text patients about appointments and results. Most of them know they should be worried about compliance. Many aren’t sure what compliance actually requires.

Here’s the reality: there is no such thing as “HIPAA certified” software. No government agency stamps a product as compliant. HIPAA is a set of rules—the Security Rule, the Privacy Rule, and the Breach Notification Rule—and compliance is a shared responsibility between the vendor providing the platform and the healthcare organization using it. The vendor provides the technical safeguards. The practice provides the policies, training, and proper use.

OhMD was built from the ground up for healthcare communication. Every feature—texting, voice AI, video visits, digital forms, file sharing, and care coordination—is designed to support HIPAA compliance by default. This page explains exactly how.

How OhMD Supports HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA has three core rules that apply to any platform handling protected health information. Here’s how OhMD addresses each one.

The Security Rule: Protecting PHI Technically

The HIPAA Security Rule requires administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect electronic PHI. OhMD meets these requirements through multiple layers:

• Encryption in transit: All messages and data are encrypted using TLS RSA with ARIA-256-CBC/SHA-384 during delivery. This prevents interception between sender and recipient.
• Encryption at rest: All stored data is encrypted using AES-256. OhMD’s infrastructure is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2 HIPAA-compliant servers on the East Coast of the United States. OhMD and Amazon have an executed BAA in place.
• Access controls: Every user requires a unique username and password. Administrators can add, remove, or deactivate users centrally. Role-based permissions control who sees what. No patient data is stored on personal devices.
• Security assessment: OhMD has completed a HiTrust assessment, ensuring its information and network security approach complies with all HIPAA and NIST standards. The OhMD team has completed HIPAA training and treats all customer data with care.

The Privacy Rule: Controlling Who Sees What

The Privacy Rule governs how PHI is used and disclosed. OhMD supports compliance through:

• Patient consent workflows: Organizations are required to gain documented, date-and-time-stamped patient consent before communicating PHI via SMS. Most practices accomplish this through patient consent forms during intake.
• Segregated communication: Using OhMD separates communication containing PHI from personal communication platforms (standard SMS, personal email, WhatsApp). This reduces the risk of PHI ending up in unsecured channels.
• Dual messaging approach: OhMD combines standard SMS for non-sensitive messages (scheduling confirmations, office directions) with encrypted messaging links for content containing PHI. Patients tap a secure link to view protected content in their mobile browser—no app download or portal login required.
• Conversation auditing: Administrators can audit any conversation within their organization. Full message history is available for compliance review and can be pushed to the patient’s EHR chart with one click.

The Breach Notification Rule: Preventing and Responding

The Breach Notification Rule requires covered entities to notify affected individuals, HHS, and sometimes the media after a breach of unsecured PHI. OhMD reduces breach risk through:

• Centralized platform: Because all communication runs through OhMD rather than scattered across personal devices and email accounts, there is a single, auditable point of control.
• Instant deactivation: If a staff member leaves the practice or a device is lost, administrators can deactivate the account immediately. No PHI is stored locally on devices, so a lost phone does not create a breach.
• Encrypted data at rest: Even in the unlikely event of unauthorized server access, AES-256 encryption renders the data unreadable without the proper keys.

The Business Associate Agreement

Before any vendor can handle PHI on behalf of a healthcare organization, HIPAA requires a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA). This is a legal contract that defines the vendor’s responsibilities for protecting patient data, what happens in the event of a breach, and the permitted uses and disclosures of PHI.

OhMD provides an automatic BAA for every user. It’s executed the moment you start using the platform—no separate negotiation, no paperwork, no legal review required. The BAA covers all communication channels: texting, voice, video, forms, file sharing, and care coordination. You can access the current BAA at any time from within the OhMD platform or on the legal agreements page.

This is worth emphasizing because many platforms either don’t offer a BAA, require you to be on a paid enterprise plan to get one, or make you ask for it. With OhMD, it’s included from day one, even on the free plan.

HIPAA Compliant Communication Across Every Channel

OhMD isn’t a single-purpose texting tool. It’s an omni-channel communication platform where every feature is built with HIPAA compliance as the foundation. Here’s how compliance applies to each channel:

Every channel listed above is covered by OhMD’s automatic BAA. All conversations across all channels appear in a single unified inbox, so staff never lose track of a patient interaction regardless of how it started—phone call, text, web chat, or AI.

Is Email HIPAA Compliant?

This is one of the most common questions practices ask, and the short answer is: standard email is not HIPAA compliant. While email is convenient, it lacks the encryption, access controls, and audit capabilities required by the HIPAA Security Rule out of the box.

The longer answer depends on which email provider you use:

Even when you get HIPAA compliant email working (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), the patient experience is poor. Every encrypted email forces patients through a multi-step process: click the link, create an account, set a password, verify identity, then read the message. If they need to reply, they repeat the process. Compare that to a text message that arrives on their phone and takes three seconds to read.

This is why most practices that evaluate HIPAA compliant email end up choosing HIPAA compliant texting instead. Text messages have a 98% read rate. Patients respond in minutes, not days. Staff can manage dozens of text conversations simultaneously, while each phone call or email exchange is one-to-one. For practices trying to close the loop on lab results, referral coordination, or pre-visit intake, texting is faster, cheaper, and significantly more effective.

Technical Security Specifications

For IT teams, compliance officers, and anyone evaluating OhMD’s security posture, here are the technical details:

HIPAA Is a Shared Responsibility

This is worth saying plainly, because it’s the most misunderstood part of HIPAA compliance: no software vendor can make your practice HIPAA compliant on its own. The vendor provides the technical safeguards—encryption, access controls, BAA, audit trail. Your practice is responsible for the rest.

Here’s what falls on your side:

• Patient consent. You must document that patients have consented to receive communication via text. This should be date-and-time-stamped. Most practices add consent language to their intake forms.
• Staff training. Your team needs to understand what PHI is, when to use encrypted messaging vs. standard SMS, and how to handle patient communication properly. OhMD’s platform makes the right choice easy—encrypted links are generated automatically when sharing clinical content—but your staff should understand why.
• Organizational policies. You should have a written communication policy that covers acceptable use, after-hours expectations, documentation requirements, and incident response procedures.
• User management. When staff members leave your practice, deactivate their accounts promptly. OhMD’s admin panel makes this a one-click action, but it’s your responsibility to do it.

OhMD gives you the tools. Your practice puts them to work correctly. Together, that’s what HIPAA compliance looks like in practice.

See OhMD in Action

OhMD gives your practice HIPAA compliant communication across text, voice, video, forms, and file sharing—all from one inbox, all covered by a single BAA.

See plans and pricing or book a demo to see how it works with your EHR and your workflow.

Questions? Email us at team@ohmd.com.

Frequently Asked Questions