Healthcare Texting: Dos and Don’ts
Text messaging has changed the way everyone communicates, including physicians and other healthcare professionals. While it is convenient, quick and common for physicians and other members of a healthcare team to use mobile devices to communicate with each other and with patients regarding care, texting with them has potentially serious risks.
Foley, Baron, Metzger & Juip (FBMJ) partner, Brian Whitelaw, recently addressed these hot-topic risks in a podcast interview and a webinar for healthcare and legal professionals, providing recommendations on how to mitigate the risks of texting while still enjoying the benefits of these communications. How to avoid HIPAA violations, disclosures in lawsuits of messages thought to be private, and many more tips were shared with the audiences. Actual case studies and cautionary tales were presented to illustrate the serious consequences of failing to follow best practices.
Whitelaw was the featured guest in a ProAssurance Rapid Risk Review Podcast entitled “Health in Your Hands: Navigating Text Messaging Risks”. The podcast can be heard on Spotify. He was also the featured presenter at a January 2025 webinar hosted by the Michigan Society of Healthcare Risk Management (MSHRM) and sponsored by Coverys titled, “Legal Aspects of Text Messaging in Healthcare”.