Do you know what HIPAA is? Why do call centers need it? Here is a quick tour of the things you should know about this Privacy Rule.

What Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule Mean to Call Centers?

HIPAA is a set of national standards for the protection of individuals' health information while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high-quality health care and to protect the public's health and well-being. Thus, it is crucial for every company that provides contact center services for the healthcare industry or collects health information. And, if you outsource your patient services, it is essential to ensure that you work with a HIPAA-compliant call center.

HIPAA infringements in contact centers can be a significant obstacle for your business, damaging your reputation as a company and costing you big money and time to resolve.

Contact centers that are HIPAA compliant have implemented all compliance conditions, such as encrypting data, password protection, and secure data storage.

Benefits of HIPAA Compliant Contact Centers

HIPAA Call Centers:

• Have a better reputation
• Are trustworthy
• Are secure
• Can improve their answer times
• Boost their efficiency and customer satisfaction

Call Center Requirements for HIPAA Compliance

Suppose you are looking to be a HIPAA-compliant contact center or want to hire a HIPAA-compliant call center. In that case, you should look at the requirements that give the proper security for healthcare data gathering and storage.

• Data Encryption

Your email server must encrypt all data, making it practically impenetrable to possible hackers.

• Appointment-Setting Protection

Because of the nature of all sensitive information that patients may provide regarding their health during a phone call, all appointment-setting processes should be strictly confidential.

• Secure Text Messaging

All texts need to be stored in a secure system. Also, HIPAA regulations indicate that all messages should be sent and received in real-time.

• HIPAA Training for Call Center Agents

Every agent in your contact center needs the proper training to know all the ins and outs of HIPAA requirements. Protect your call center agent quality by offering continuous training sessions.

Call Center Services International understands your compliance responsibilities. Our industry knowledge allows us to recruit and train call center agents to integrate into your debt collection operation and meet high compliance standards. CCSI is SOC and ISO 20000 certified as well as PCI and HIPAA compliant, so we can ensure your information security. Read more about our Medical & Healthcare Nearshore Solution.