As their client, you can simply phone your current call center and ask. But first, get informed about the regulations relevant to every medical answering service.
– Who is your HIPAA Compliance Officer?
– Are customer service agents trained in HIPAA / HITECH / OMNIBUS?
– When was the last documented training and how often is the training renewed?
– Is your e-mail and text solution secure with encryption and password protection?
– Does your medical office use Windows XP or any earlier version of Windows?
– Does your answering service software have the ability to audit logins in real-time and block unauthorized users to prevent PHI breaches?
– What physical security measures are in place to protect medical information?
– Will you sign our Business Associate Agreement?
– Are you properly storing, transmitting, and destroying all messages as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act?
If your current answering service does not have an immediate answer to the questions above then we suggest looking for a new HIPAA-compliant medical answering service. As the covered entity, you must make sure that the answering service is HIPAA compliant or risk violations, fines, and possible criminal charges.
How Can I Verify that the Phone Answering Services and Messaging Meet Requirements?