What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated guidance for hospitals and critical access hospitals related to texting patient information.
What else to know: Hospitals should use a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant secure texting platform that complies with Medicare and Medicaid conditions of participation.
The guidance permits health care team members to share patient information and orders with each other through secure texting that will transfer data into electronic health records. CMS continues to prefer computerized provider order entry but acknowledges alternatives exist.
