Can Google Ads be made HIPAA-compliant?
If you are in the healthcare business, protecting medical information becomes the top priority. Whether you are a pharmaceutical manufacturer or service provider, you have to run your Google ads and content based on HIPAA compliance. These are the guidelines made by Google to restrict the unethical usage of medical information. HIPAA compliant sets the base to protect the health information, and thus Google ads must be made in accordance with these guidelines. In this article, we will explore some of the basic guidelines to follow in content creation and in Google Ads.
Understanding HIPAA Compliance
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) is a federal law that makes sure to protect the sensitive information of patients, called PHI (Patient Health Information). These guidelines are there so that healthcare providers do not use the information unethically or without the consent of the patient. Online marketing can easily use this data to promote their services or products; thus, there are strict guidelines on Google Ads to prevent this from happening.
Rules to Create Content According to HIPAA Compliant
While everyone is using search engines to get the needed information, Google tops the list, where we all look for solutions. Medical conditions can be critical, so claiming any medication to cure a disease or any treatment seems deviating from the set of rules. Let’s take a closer look at a breakdown of the regulations.
- Content Restrictions
You cannot just say whatever you want. To say a particular medication or a treatment for a disease, you must have medical proof. Some content claiming a cure or unrealistic weight loss programs raises red flags that are not in compliance with HIPAA.
- Location Restrictions
There are some location restrictions too. You can not do Google Ads just like that. Rather, you must know the regulations of the particular location where you want to promote your product or services.
- Industry Restrictions
The pharmaceutical industry receives the most restrictions on the Google Ads platform. They need to fill out an application and complete a certification. This certification makes sure only authentic pharmaceutical companies are posting on Google with some ethical information.
- Medical Services Restrictions
There are certain medical services that are prohibited for advertising on Google in some locations, such as abortion, birth control, health insurance, home HIV tests, and addiction services. With these restrictions, Google makes sure that the providers of sensitive medical information promote their services keeping HIPAA compliant in mind.
How to Run Google Ads in Accordance with HIPAA Compliance?
Promoting your services or products is the goal of every business, and the pharmaceutical industry or healthcare provider is not excluded. However, to do this in the right way, one needs to follow HIPAA compliance. Let’s see how it can be done to avoid unwanted complications:
- Do not use PHI in any of the advertising campaigns. Using PHI is an offensive act and can put you in deep trouble. Generalized messages without pointing to any personal information lower the risk of getting into HIPAA violations.
- Restrict the target audience. Avoid using sensitive information in keywords or content that could identify any person.
- If your services are required to fill out a medical form on a website, make sure that the page is legal and ethical. Use encryption and secure connections to protect the data.
- Before launching any Google Ad campaign, it is advisable to consult your legal team to do the groundwork.
By carefully following these simple steps, you can promote your services or products without any hassle.
Conclusion
Running Google ads is the main focus for every business, including pharmaceutical industry or medical service providers. In this scenario, HIPAA regulations are there to protect the sensitive health information of patients. You cannot use the data for your promotional purposes until you have consent from the patient. By using genuine content and using only encrypted and secure connections to data for medical purposes, you can avoid the complications and easily promote your services.
