A home care agency needs to work with a HIPAA-compliant answering service because clients will be sharing information that must be protected according to HIPAA regulations. Not using a HIPAA-compliant answering service could put a home care agency in jeopardy of losing the trust of clients and losing accreditations necessary for the smooth and efficient running of the agency.
Before choosing a home care answering service think about these reasons why it’s so important to make sure you’re working with a HIPAA-compliant answering service:
Legal Compliance
HIPAA regulations mandate strict standards for protecting patients’ health information. Failure to comply can result in significant fines and legal consequences for home care agencies. For care agencies to continue growing they must be sure that all their partnerships are with HIPAA-compliant agencies so that they don’t fall out of compliance with the laws.
Data Security
HIPAA-compliant answering services have robust security measures in place to safeguard sensitive information. This includes encryption, secure data storage, and strict access controls to prevent unauthorized disclosure or breaches.
Patient Confidentiality
Clients trust home care agencies to maintain the confidentiality of their health information. A HIPAA-compliant answering service ensures that all communications, including phone calls and messages, are handled securely and confidentially.
Clients will be calling in at all hours because they need help with their mothers, fathers, and family members who may have serious health conditions. That information must be protected so that clients can be sure of confidentiality.
Protected Health Information (PHI) Handling: HIPAA-compliant answering services are trained to handle Protected Health Information (PHI) by HIPAA regulations. They follow strict protocols to ensure that PHI is not disclosed to unauthorized individuals.
Risk Mitigation
By outsourcing call handling to a HIPAA-compliant service, home care agencies can reduce the risk of HIPAA violations associated with mishandling or unauthorized disclosure of PHI. This helps protect the agency from potential legal and reputational risks.
Professionalism and Trust
Using a HIPAA-compliant answering service demonstrates professionalism and commitment to patient privacy. It instills trust in clients and reassures them that their health information is being handled with the utmost care and confidentiality.
24/7 Availability
HIPAA-compliant answering services can provide round-the-clock support, ensuring that clients can reach the agency anytime for assistance or emergencies while maintaining HIPAA compliance.
Efficiency and Productivity
Outsourcing call handling for your home care agency to a HIPAA-compliant service allows home care agency staff to focus on providing care and essential tasks without being burdened by managing incoming calls. This improves efficiency and productivity within the agency. It also increases the confidence of clients in the agency.
Before you hire any answering service to represent your care agency you should be sure that they operate under HIPAA-compliant guidelines. It’s also a good idea to ask about ongoing education and training so that you can be sure their employees will be up to date whenever there are changes to HIPAA regulations.
If you are considering hiring a HIPAA-Compliant Answering Service that is dedicated to the senior care market, contact 24/7 Coastal Contact today at (251) 260-0226.
Let us show you how and why we are different from any other service you may have tried in the past. Our team approach is the standard that sets us apart from the rest.
Prior to establishing 24/7 Coastal Contact, Ms. King worked for 30 years in the health care industry. Her experience began providing direct patient care. Eventually, she transitioned into home care and home infusion, then acquired her HCS-D certification as a Home Health specialty coder where she learned about the administrative burden facing Home Health and Home Care providers.
It became clear that after-hours customer service was a major toll home care industry and it was with this need in mind that 24/7 Coastal Contact was founded. In the three years since its start, 24/7 Coastal Contact has grown explosively. Now, we provide service to over 40 agencies in over 24 states with a 95% retention of service rate.
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