Text messaging of patient information is now widespread among health-care providers over half of physicians now use text messages and digital image transmission when communicating with patients and other providers regarding patient care, ,,. Photographs of clinical conditions and x-ray images are obtained easily and shared using smartphones. It provides guidelines for providers seeking to minimize the risk of noncompliance with privacy requirements as they adopt these new technologies into their practices. This article addresses patient privacy concerns attendant to the acquisition, transmission, and sharing of clinical photographs among health-care providers. Properly deidentified patient photographs (and other data) are no longer considered identifiable protected health information and are not subject to the handling requirements mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Health-care providers should understand the deidentification process for patient photographs because this process fundamentally changes the expectations and requirements for how providers are to handle this information. This improvement, however, has increased concerns regarding patient privacy and the safeguarding of protected health information. This technology affords health-care providers the ability to rapidly collaborate and facilitate care for their patients. It is easy to capture and share clinical photographs and x-ray images using modern smartphones.

2018 online exif data viewer