If you work in the healthcare industry, you know how imperative it is to protect your patients’ health information (PHI) in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Even if a PHI breach is unintentional, your practice can be fined up to $1.5 million. It goes without saying that it is absolutely necessary that you and your staff are HIPAA compliant — and this includes your call answering service.

Some healthcare professionals assume that if they receive a text or email from a third party, such as an answering service, they aren’t responsible for HIPAA violations on that end. But this isn’t true. Physicians are liable for the secure and confidential transmission of PHI on both the sending and receiving end of any data. If an answering service sends a text with patient information, it may be encrypted on their end but not on the physician’s screen, or vice versa.

Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. offers a secure communication app that lets care-providers text patient information without putting patient PHI at risk. This app allows the provider to send secure messages to other providers or to all members of their group. The provider can also attach their dictation on that message using this app. The message can be downloaded right into the patient’s electronic chart.

The app also makes it easy to track if messages are received or not. When Voice Link sends the provider a secure message, we are notified when he or she has read the message. If the provider does not read the message in a timely manner, we then call the provider to deliver the message and escalate any action steps that need to be taken.

The  secure app is just one of the many ways we customize communication solutions to make it easier for healthcare providers to enhance patient care. In addition, we offer web portal accessibility so medical providers can be in charge of their on-call schedule so that we know who to call in the event of an after-hours emergency.

We also give medical providers the flexibility to provide us with their own protocols for call handling or appointment scheduling. But even if they chose not to the answering service agents will get to know the provider’s practice and priorities calls. Highly-trained agents are skilled in managing urgent call transfers, call screening, and messaging promptly and professionally. Your patients most likely won’t even realize they’re not speaking with an in-office staff receptionist.

Voice Link provides medical answering services for healthcare industries such as:

• Hospitals
• Physicians’ offices
• Dentists
• Dermatologists
• Surgical groups
• Medical Supplies
• Hospice
• Home Health Care
• Veterinary offices

Day or night, outsourcing your practice’s calls will ensure that your patients are attended to with care and compassion, 24/7, 365 days a year so that you can sleep better at night. Voice Link offers 26 years of experience in medical answering services and provides live answering services that exceed your expectations. Request information online or call us at (800) 262-2799 for a free consultation.

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