Conclusions – Sensitive Information

• People/departments routinely send sensitive info via email.

• HIPAA has greatly increased awareness in the medical community regarding the need to handle patient communication carefully.

• Faculty often do not know what would constitute confidential communication with students (may not be clear on FERPA, either).

• [click] People and departments routinely send sensitive information via email. Here's a quote from an interview: "People in my department occasionally email me sensitive information such as employee SSNs and our department P-Card's account information. This makes me uncomfortable."

• [click] There is also much concern about patient records. HIPAA has greatly increased awareness in the medical community regarding the need to handle patient communication carefully. One interviewee said, "I am a physician and increasingly many patients send me email with medical questions previously handled by phone."

• [click] Faculty often do not know what would constitute confidential communication with students (and may not be clear on FERPA, either). One said, "Occasionally I receive and send exams via email attachment. How secure are these emails?"