Password protect emails

[Shady]

Due to the HIPAA regulations, we must "encrypt" outgoing
emails. Is it possible to password protect an email,
rather than using encryption such as verisign?

 

[DL]

I didn't see anything in FAQ's that stated encryption was a requirement
http://answers.hhs.gov/cgi-bin/hhs....cat_lvl1=7&p_cat_lvl2=~any~&p_group=&p_page=1
or http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/privacy.html
However do you actually mean encryption as apposed to 'Digitally Signed'

 

[Guest]

What we need to do is send a few files outside the company
to some outsources. These files though are coverd for
privacy by the HIPPA regulations. I was hoping to just
password protect them, as opposed to any other securuty
methods.

 

[Brian Tillman]

What we need to do is send a few files outside the company
to some outsources. These files though are coverd for
privacy by the HIPPA regulations. I was hoping to just
password protect them, as opposed to any other securuty
methods.

Well, you could zip them up prior to sending them, but there are numerous
programs that will break zip passwords. It's not all that hard to encrypt
messages prior to sending them.

 

[DL]

I see what yr trying to do, but as I said I saw nothing in the regs. that
required this, and it specifically mentions patients records/details being
emailed to outside parties.
If you encrypt then the other party will need the key to read it.
I realise yr the otherside of the pond, but we had similar problems here
with many Institutions misinterpreting our Data Protection Act. You may have
heard of the case involving a school caretaker who murdered two small
children, last year. The Police had destroyed their records of the man,
previously, because he had never been convicted, prior to this case, because
they thought thats what the Act required, when in fact it did'nt.