The importance of HIPAA compliance

What is HIPAA? 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that introduced national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge.

The Importance of Hipaa Compliance in Healthcare

There are countless reasons why HIPAA matters, the main reason is to respect patients’ rights to privacy and confidentiality. According to the NCBI, “The goals of security are threefold: to ensure that (1) only authorized individuals see stored data; (2) they only see the data when they need to use it for an authorized purpose; and (3) what they see is accurate.”  It boils down to trust. 

How does WellReceived ensure patient privacy? 

We’re glad you asked. Care begins the moment the phone rings. At WellReceived, patient privacy and professional care are in our DNA. 

All of our medical receptionists are trained to take calls that may contain sensitive patient information. Scripting is designed to offer you flexibility and customization, while also preserving the privacy of every patient.

Features that help ensure patient privacy and data security include:

• Safe data storage through Google Cloud Healthcare API
  • We use Google Cloud Healthcare API to securely store information. All calls, messages, contacts, and Setmore appointments are encrypted. 
• Push notifications
  • Messages are sent to your phone in real-time, without revealing  any patient identifying information. It’s easy to check your messages, and you can rest easy knowing sensitive information is securely stored in the WellReceived app.
• Patient communication
  • Call recordings are stored using Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), and are also secured according to HIPAA requirements.
  • We also offer two-way call recording for providers who prefer to use this option. Listen to the full conversation between your caller and our virtual medical receptionist. All recordings are stored securely to ensure the safety and privacy of your patients.
• Secure login for your WellReceived CWA Portal
  • Client Web Access (CWA) portal access is secured with unique login credentials. Sensitive patient information can only be accessed by authorized members of your team.

You can count on us

We train our virtual medical receptionists on how to handle Protected Health Information (PHI), whether you have HIPAA-compliance turned on or not. That means we won’t leave sensitive medical information in a voicemail. Along with certified HIPAA training, our virtual medical receptionists are familiar with basic medical terminology to best support your patients. 

We’re here to help you feel at ease knowing you have a professional and compassionate virtual receptionist handling your calls, 24/7. 

To learn more about the importance of HIPAA compliance in healthcare and compliant plans, call us at 1.800.800.4449.

Check out also what is a virtual receptionist.