Each individual must have their own user account in your Kno2 Connected™ app to comply with the Terms of Service and the HIPAA Security Rule. Shared or generic user accounts do not meet those requirements.
The Terms of Service can be viewed by clicking Legal Information at the bottom of any page when logged in.
For more information, Health and Human Services has produced a helpful answer about this requirement of the Security Rule - Does the Security Rule permit a covered entity to assign the same log-on ID or user ID to multiple employees? | HHS.gov.
Why Individual User Accounts Are Important
Compliance: Sharing credentials violates the HIPAA Security Rule and the Terms of Service. Creating individual accounts ensures compliance.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): MFA is tied to an individual user. When credentials are shared, other users may be unable to log in if MFA prompts are sent to one person’s device or phone number, effectively locking others out of their work.
Password Changes: If one user changes the password without notifying others, remaining users will be unable to log in until the updated password is shared, causing unnecessary disruption to workflows.
Auditing and Accountability: There is no way to determine which individual completed a specific action when accounts are shared. This makes meaningful auditing impossible and creates significant compliance risk under HIPAA.
Support Limitations: The Kno2 Healthcare Network Services (HCNS) team cannot provide assistance to resolve issues that are the result of credential sharing. Each user must have a unique account before support can be engaged.
No Impact on Integrations: Adding new users does not affect existing integrations, ensuring seamless operation.
Adding Users
Unlimited user accounts can be added to your Kno2 Connected™ app. If your organization only has access to a single email address, alias emails may be used to create individual accounts for each user.
What are alias emails? Alias emails are additional email addresses that route incoming messages to the same primary inbox. Most email providers and IT departments can create these — for example, an organization using a frontdesk@ address might use aliases such as frontdesk+1@ or frontdesk+intake@. Each alias can be registered as a unique user account in your Kno2 Connected™ app.
When using alias emails, each user will need to manage their own notifications. For example, users may organize messages using folders or filters, or some users may choose to turn off new message notifications to avoid receiving duplicate alerts.
Ensuring each staff member has their own individual user account promotes compliance, improves accountability, and provides a more secure and reliable experience for all users of your Kno2 Connected™ app.