The HIPAA (Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act) jurisdiction covers telephone usage which includes VoIP services which must adhere to compliance and regulations. Sharing information over a network connection is a regular occurrence for health care professionals, the information being shared is usually personal and confidential.
Today companies are constantly under attack from bad actors trying to breach networks and gain access to confidential information. Protecting medical records is the utmost importance for medical providers and regulators have strict guidelines and repercussions for negligence. The HIPAA Privacy Rule was established and cloud-based communications now an excellent solution for medical providers to comply with this regulation.
Understanding VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that transmits communications over a network connection using cloud-based networking. A VoIP call can be made from a mobile device, computer, or phone that is linked to a VoIP service provider. The internet is the foundation for making the connection on VoIP calls.
A cloud-based telecommunications system such as VoIP offers several benefits over traditional phone systems including advanced conference calling features that allow an unlimited number of participants to join a call using one dail-in number. A VoIP phone system can also direct calls to the right extensions, forwarding to the relevant voicemail or connected multiple parties together on the same line.
VoIP phone systems provide advanced tracking and data storage features that allow you to record different conversations and store them for reference later, additionally all your contacts can be synced from one central location. VoIP phone systems allow users to make calls on-the-go where ever there is an internet connection on mobile devices and laptops.
HIPAA and VoIP
All medical professionals must comply with HIPAA whether you are an insurance company, a hospital or a pharmacy, the services you provide must be compliant with HIPAA. Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was established in 1996 by the United States health care system in order to set a national standard for electronic health care transactions and security.
Telecommunications has now evolved to include the internet to transmit confidential information, HIPAA compliant procedures cover a wide area within the health care system including ensuring hard copies of patient records are concealed and only viewed by authorized personnel and securing digital health records with access codes and security permissions.
HIPAA compliance includes securing communications, a VoIP system will be compliant with regulations and be easier for providers to set up and get going. Talk with Intellicom today to understand the benefits VoIP can provide for your company.