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HIPAA, which is an acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was passed in 1996 to help ensure the confidential handling of private health information. Given the widespread data breaches and cyberattacks in recent years, this legislation is more important and relevant than ever. One of the primary goals of HIPAA is to mitigate the risk of security breaches when storing, transmitting or processing sensitive medical information that can lead to identity theft and insurance fraud.
When the Final Omnibus Rule was enacted in 2013, any service provider that stores, handles or otherwise processes electronic protected health information (ePHI) must follow the strict standards and policies laid down by HIPAA. This means that call centers that provide BPO services for the medical industry are subject to the exact same security regulations as the healthcare organization itself.
HIPAA Compliance for Call Centers in the Philippines
As a leading Philippines business process outsourcing call center, Executive Boutique is committed to protecting patient information and maintaining full compliance with HIPAA standards. In practice, this means adopting strict rules, training procedures and safeguards to assure that every name, social security number, diagnosis code and other PHI data is 100 percent secure, whether transmitted via email, recorded phone call, or text.
Call centers that provide BPO services to the healthcare industry are obliged to have several layers of safeguards in place to prevent PHI data leaks or breaches.
This includes:
- Ongoing HIPAA Security and Privacy training
- Limited access to ePHI
- Two-tier authentication process for select users
- Data encryption for all transactions
- Encryption of data for call recordings
- 24-7 anti-malware, anti-virus and ransomware protection
- Periodic vulnerability and network intrusion scanning
- Message lifespans that remove sensitive data after a predetermined amount of time
- Problem and incident management processes
- Emergency protocols to protect confidential information
- Periodic gap analysis performed by an assigned Privacy Security Compliance Officer
Data that is considered protected health information
Under the HIPAA’s privacy rules, protected health information includes: a patient’s name and birth date, their address and Social Security number; the type of medical care provided or diagnosis of a condition, in addition to any payment information for the medical care that could identify the patient.
When deciding to partner with a call center for back-office services like appointment scheduling, data verification and other processes, it’s imperative to ensure they observe HIPAA guidelines and conduct ongoing audits to confirm continuous compliance. Outsourcing providers that are HIPAA compliant secure the confidentiality and integrity of your organization’s privacy and that of your clients.
Executive Boutique HIPAA Compliant Call Center
Leverage the experience, technology and specialized knowledge offered by EB Call Center and reap the benefits of scalable capacity, increased customer satisfaction and the confidence that protected patient data is always secure. By working with a HIPAA compliant call center, you lower the risk of security breaches, which can seriously damage your reputation and your bottom line.
To learn more about our wide range of call center services, we invite you to reach out for a free quote.
Additional Resources:
- Health IT, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) https://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/definition/HIPAA
- HIPAA Journal, HIPAA Compliance for Call Centers, https://www.hipaajournal.com/hipaa-compliance-for-call-centers
