EAST PROVIDENCE – Care Resource LLC, an East Providence-based home health agency, home care and medical supply company serving Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, announced that its staff members are now using TigerText, a secure, HIPAA-compliant text messaging application that provides collaboration and communication among physicians, nurses and clinicians.
TigerText is a state-of-the-art communication service used by top hospitals and health care facilities nationwide. The platform uses a high-security data-encryption system and features a number of physical, technical and administrative safeguards to protect all messages and data, reported Care Resource.
The platform will be leveraged by Care Resource employees to safely take and send images, submit files and reports and send voice messages related to patient care.
“Our No. 1 priority is to protect patient-identifying information,” Bernard F. Lambrese, CEO, Care Resource, said in a statement. “The prevalence of smartphones and apps in the hands of doctors, nurses, clinicians and health care providers makes this form of communicating convenient and efficient. Unlike with email, information about [a] patient’s status, updates and conditions can be shared without any risk of a data breach from a server. This technology will help save critical time in providing the best care possible for our patients.”
Last year, The Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting health care entity, ended its five-year ban on text messaging, recognizing that the technology has advanced.
“Companies like TigerText have proven their accordance with professional standards of practice for data security and privacy concerns,” Lambrese said. “We are proud to be among the first home health agencies to introduce text-messaging communications. Our implementation of this cutting-edge application demonstrates Care Resource’s commitment to continuously improving our methods and adopting innovative means when it comes to both our patients and employees that care for them.”
According to the TigerText website, the Los Angeles-based company provides a $1 million guarantee: It will pay up to $1 million in civil penalties if an entity’s use of TigerText is in breach of HIPAA.
