HIPAA compliance is the defining factor between a reputable healthcare practice and one patient can’t trust with their private health information. Critically, staying HIPAA compliant can be the difference between jail time or a compliant organization. Keeping your organization in compliance is of the utmost importance to running a thriving and successful healthcare practice or organization. Partnering with businesses that take the compliance standards seriously can save your business time and money, while you know your patient information is secure.
What is HIPAA?
HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The CDC shares how HIPAA, “is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge.” In short, this is a law designed to protect your patients from people who would like to use their information for less than reputable reasons.
HIPAA Compliance keeps you & your patient’s private health information secure.
It Starts With You, Keeping Internal Compliance
Before seeing how you can outsource successfully, your organization should be in complete compliance internally. VoiceNation maintains this compliance in our home office as well, with training, follow-up, and re-certifications for our internal and external team. According to IT Healthcare Security, “Going it alone without the help of someone who understands thoroughly the HIPAA/HITECH rules is risky. Consider consulting a health industry attorney, an independent third-party auditor or both”. See what changes you can start implementing by following these critical components below:
- Conducting regular risk assessments and enlisting professional help if needed
- Create or hire a HIPAA-Compliance Security Team
- Conduct frequent penetration testing and vulnerability scans. These scans uncover critical vulnerabilities and illustrate how well your network and data are protected.
- Educate employees about HIPAA compliance and security.
These are just a few of the critical steps it takes to keep your organization or practice in HIPAA compliance. Consult your internal team or hire a professional to help keep your business in compliance at all times. VoiceNation’s Medical Live Answering Pro’s will ensure your client comms are handled with complete compliance and confidentiality.
Outsourcing Safely in HIPAA Compliance
Now that you’re compliant with HIPAA internally, what happens when you need to outsource something in your business? Does that need to be HIPAA-compliant too?
Absolutely.
Any time you are working with a patient’s private health information, your need to maintain its protection and safety. And, staying HIPAA-compliant in your business means keeping HIPAA-compliant when you outsource too. When looking for a new company to outsource with, try these tips to keep your business compliant:
- Look for seals or badges that state their compliance. Keeping compliance is something to be proud of, and a reputable company will be proud to display these efforts.
- Ask for proof! Any company that claims HIPAA compliance should be able to show you how they are beyond just a badge.
HIPAA Compliant Technology for Your Healthcare Organization
Are you looking for your next technology to assist your healthcare organization? Finding a reputable, reliable, AND HIPAA-compliant communications technology can be a daunting task.
Luckily, VoiceNation is proud to share its HIPAA Compliance Badge. We have the credentials and the daily efforts to back it up. At VoiceNation, we require all of our staff to be well-versed in compliance training, use an external program to maintain it, and have instituted a dedicated internal team to maintain compliance and protect your patient’s private health information. We keep your practice or organization available 24/7, 365 days a year through our compliant live answering. No matter the day or time, we are available for your practice to screen calls, dispatch, set appointments, and contact your on-call physicians as needed. VoiceNation also partnered with TigerConnect, to ensure you’re client comms integrate seamlessly with our customer communication expertise. Seamless integration made to make your life easier. If you’d like to get started on an answering service that cares about you and your customers, sign up for a Free Trial today!