The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated guidance to now allow hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals to text patient information and orders to the electronic health records (EHR) using a HIPAA-compliant secure platform. Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) continues to be the preferred method of order entry by a provider, but CMS recognizes there have been significant improvements in the encryption and interface capabilities of texting platforms to transfer data into EHRs since their last guidance was issued in 2018.
