It’s essential to have a HIPPA answering service for medical practices. HIPPA violations can cost you and your practice time, money, and reputation. It’s essential to keep your customer service strong, 24/7 – which can be hard to do with doctors working at night. A HIPPA answering service can help you maintain trust with your patients while executing flawless 24/7 customer service.
HIPPA Violations can cost you and your practice time, money, and reputation.
As a medical practice owner, you’re probably not surprised to hear that HIPAA violations can cost you and your practice time, money, and reputation. But what exactly is HIPAA?
HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It was created to protect patient privacy by regulating the storage and use of medical information.
The goal of the HIPAA Privacy Rule was simple: to ensure that patients are notified about how their personal health information is used and shared by their healthcare providers.
If you’re a general practitioner or a specialist, or if you have an urgent care center or an outpatient facility, then chances are you have some sort of confidential information stored on file at your office. That means that protecting this data from breaches should be a top priority for every medical professional. It’s one of the few things that almost every state legislature agrees on regarding the healthcare industry.
Nearly a third of people surveyed said they are unlikely to trust a doctor that violated HIPPA rules.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that protects personal health information. This includes health insurance plans, records, and billing statements, and HIPAA laws were created to ensure the privacy of your medical information.
A violation of HIPAA can have serious consequences for your medical practice. The penalties for violating HIPPA vary but could include:
- Fines up to $50,000 per violation;
- Loss of Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement; and
- Loss of certification as an eligible provider with government programs like Medicare or Medicaid.
When most people receive a HIPPA violation notice, the average response was to change doctors.
When most people receive a HIPPA violation notice, the average response is to change doctors. But if you are a doctor, you need to take it seriously. If you are not following HIPAA requirements, it could mean losing your medical practice altogether. You need to hire a HIPPA answering service for your medical practice.
When patients call your office, there are certain types of questions that they want to be answered immediately. They may want to know if they can get an appointment today or if they can get in tomorrow morning. If they have a question about their insurance coverage or their deductible amount, they want answers immediately to make their next move.
There is no way that you could answer all of these questions yourself and still provide the best care possible for each patient who walks through your door. You need an answering service that will field these calls and ensure that your patients get the help they need when they need it most.
It’s essential to keep customer service high, days and nights.
A HIPPA medical answering service can be valuable to any medical practice. Still, it’s especially important for urgent care clinics that need to keep their customer service levels high. Even after the office closes, patients still need to be able to reach you in the case of emergencies. You don’t want them calling around and going elsewhere, so it’s best to have a professional on the phone who can give them the information they need.
While you may think that having an answering machine is sufficient, consider how much better off you would be if you had a real person at your disposal who could take messages and put your patients at ease. A pre-recorded message won’t cut it when someone is in crisis; there’s no way to tell if what they’re hearing is outdated or inaccurate.
Aside from taking messages and relaying them back to the office, a HIPPA answering service can do many other things like check your patient’s insurance benefits and arrange payment plans. They can even schedule appointments over the phone or online—which means less work for your staff during busy hours.
It doesn’t matter how big or small your practice is; having an answering service is always good to ensure that your patients are cared for.
A HIPPA answering service can help you maintain trust with your patients and keep your customer service strong.
A HIPPA answering service will ensure that your business has the first line of defense against violations. If you’ve taken the time to develop trust with your patients, their support when you face a breach is of utmost importance. If you’re concerned about what steps to take, consider hiring a HIPPA answering service to protect your practice from tarnished reputation and financial obstacles.
Contact us today to ensure your answering service does not result in HIPPA violations.
