[KenWid10]

As a dentist, I often want to send medical information including digital xrays to another doctor. What would be a good/easy way to do this encrypted?

Our organization currently requires that all such sent information be encrypted. Their current method is an add-on program to our email, that automatically encrypts the attachment. The problem with this though is that the recipient needs to also have this particular program installed on their computer...

I would like a way where the recipient can easily access the file without having to install new, additional software. Most digital xrays I would send as a dentist are less than 5 Mb.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts/ideas.

[ElfBane]

To members that may wish to offer suggestions;

There are probably legal requirements for what to use in this case. If you are unaware of what software meets the legal requirements... I would be careful with my suggestions.

[KenWid10]

Currently many (most?) dentists, when communicating with other dentists, just attach things via email unencrypted.

I am aware of many of the laws (HIPAA e.g.) surrounding this. Feel free to make posts on whatever services you think might work for this. I don't think you could be held responsible in a court of law... I am comfortable evaluating the software (as I do for any other decision related to patient care or patient privacy), and I am comfortable taking full responsibility for my actions.

I think with the way things currently are with much dental communication taking place over unsecured servers, you would be doing nothing but helping patient privacy with any suggestions.

Thanks.

This post has been edited by KenWid10: 30 August 2012 - 12:13 PM

[Flashorn]

Hey Doc!

Welcome to PCWorld Community.

Well, I might have a suggestion that could fit your bill.

AxCrypt from Axantum : http://www.axantum.com/axcrypt/

They also propose this software as a compliment to DropBox and others like it :

https://www.dropbox.com/

https://www.box.com/

You could also use other cloud service such as : Uploaded.net : http://uploaded.net/

Or

DepositFiles : http://depositfiles.com/

Or

MediaFire : http://www.mediafire.com/

and I could go on but, I think the ones I posted should satisfy you if you should decide that
this is the way you want to go.



FLASHORN.

[KenWid10]

Thanks. I will take a look at those next week. Appreciate the help.

[coastie65]

Hi and welcome to the forums. This may be helpful: http://www.onesource...-Digital-Format In essence. you would need to convert the X rays into a digital format. Once that is dome, then it would be just a matter of using a good encryption program ( preferrably 256 bit ) to encrypt it before sending it. Mind you, the receiver would have to have the encryption program to unencrypt it once received.

[smax013]

KenWid10, on 30 August 2012 - 12:07 PM, said:

Currently many (most?) dentists, when communicating with other dentists, just attach things via email unencrypted.

I am aware of many of the laws (HIPAA e.g.) surrounding this. Feel free to make posts on whatever services you think might work for this. I don't think you could be held responsible in a court of law... I am comfortable evaluating the software (as I do for any other decision related to patient care or patient privacy), and I am comfortable taking full responsibility for my actions.

I think with the way things currently are with much dental communication taking place over unsecured servers, you would be doing nothing but helping patient privacy with any suggestions.

Thanks.

You certainly want to review any potential solution with regards to HIPAA and other patient privacy laws.

It is certainly possible that some "cloud" sharing site along the lines of what Flashorn suggested might work, but it would likely need to either be a "double encryption key" service or might be able to use a "single encryption key" service if you also encrypted the file first (this would likely require the other person to have that encryption software unless the software can make "self-unencrypting" files). For example, DropBox is a "single encryption key" service (to my knowledge). This basically means that DropBox employees could technically see your files as all of the files on DropBox's servers are encrypted with a key(s) that DropBox controls. A "double key" service means that there are two encryption keys...one that the service controls/has and one that only the user controls/has. For such services, the only person would can access your files (without cracking encryption) is you.

[LincolnSpector]

Hi, Ken, and welcome to the forums.

There are plenty of tools that can securely encrypt a file. You can even use .zip files (although if you do, make sure to use a compression program that offers AES encryption, and use that option).

The problem is that the person on the other end needs to know the password. And if you can't trust unencrypted email for the x-ray, you can't trust it for the password. So you have to figure something out.

My suggestion: Sendinc.com. It's one of those upload/download sites, but with very strong security. And you don't have to share the password. You need your password to upload, and the recipient needs theirs to download.

Depending on how much you have to do, a free version should be fine.

Lincoln

[johhny]

KenWid10, on 30 August 2012 - 08:29 AM, said:

As a dentist, I often want to send medical information including digital xrays to another doctor. What would be a good/easy way to do this encrypted?

Our organization currently requires that all such sent information be encrypted. Their current method is an add-on program to our email, that automatically encrypts the attachment. The problem with this though is that the recipient needs to also have this particular program installed on their computer...

I would like a way where the recipient can easily access the file without having to install new, additional software. Most digital xrays I would send as a dentist are less than 5 Mb.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts/ideas.

You could make the things secure enough for transaction just by creating an online account. the platforms like rapidshare.com, uploading.com, mediafire.com etc., offering secure uploading and downloading of your attachments.

[KenWid10]

Thanks everyone for the helpful suggestions. I really appreciate them.

I just checked out SendInc.com today. I will still try to look at some of the others, but this one looks very good for what I am wanting to do.

Thanks,

Ken

[Szczecinianin]

Hi!

As to encrypting you may try this open source AxCrypt. You can also use e.g. Dropbox account public URLs emailed to your patients.

[A41202813]

For Confidential Information, Encryption Is A Double Must When Using Online Storage Services.

By Using GOOGLE, I Could Find, And Download, Some Of My Files In The Internet.

These Privacy Unreliable Services Are A Small Percentage But They Do Exist.

---

This post has been edited by A41202813: 20 September 2012 - 03:09 PM

[crazy4laptops]

KenWid10, on 30 August 2012 - 08:29 AM, said:

As a dentist, I often want to send medical information including digital xrays to another doctor. What would be a good/easy way to do this encrypted?

Our organization currently requires that all such sent information be encrypted. Their current method is an add-on program to our email, that automatically encrypts the attachment. The problem with this though is that the recipient needs to also have this particular program installed on their computer...

I would like a way where the recipient can easily access the file without having to install new, additional software. Most digital xrays I would send as a dentist are less than 5 Mb.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts/ideas.

HIPAA requirements are there for a reason, follow them. I will not suggest anything that goes outside it.

However, in most corporate networks, they use a L2TP VPN tunnel. Basically, put your encrypted files on a central server at your office. Work with your ISP to setup a VPN tunnel between your network and your other docs/dentist.

[LincolnSpector]

crazy4laptops, on 24 September 2012 - 07:00 PM, said:

HIPAA requirements are there for a reason, follow them. I will not suggest anything that goes outside it.

However, in most corporate networks, they use a L2TP VPN tunnel. Basically, put your encrypted files on a central server at your office. Work with your ISP to setup a VPN tunnel between your network and your other docs/dentist.

Unfortunately, Ken needs a solution that doesn't require that the recipient install special software.

Lincoln