HIPAA Compliant VoIP: Requirements And Rules

VoIP phone service usage is increasing rapidly in almost all sectors, including healthcare centers, due to its affordability and advanced features. It has to meet various requirements such as reliability, features, cost, and, importantly, HIPAA compliance. 

HIPAA compliance plays a significant role in protecting patients’ health-related physical and electronic information from being misused by unauthorized people. So, any healthcare providers or business associates who breach this compliance face a hefty penalty. 

Thus, safeguarding patients’ privacy is not only a good healthcare practice but also a legal requirement under HIPAA. But do you know the HIPAA rules?

This blog provides readers with a detailed overview of HIPAA compliant VoIP phone service, benefits, and non-compliant consequences, including the top providers.

So, let’s get started. 🚀

What is a HIPAA Compliant VoIP Phone Service?

A HIPAA Compliant in VoIP phone service is security compliance that protects a patient’s electronic Protected Health Information (PHI), including voice messages, files, calls, and SMS records, from unauthorized access and data encryption. 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 1996. The healthcare industry must comply with HIPAA regulations to ensure the privacy of information exchanges between entities and business associates. 

The entities that fall into three primary groups must adhere to the HIPAA regulations. The group includes:

• Healthcare providers: The professionals or organizations that offer healthcare services, such as doctors, hospitals, clinics, and dentists. 
• Health plans: The organizations such as insurance companies and HMOs that provide or pay for health coverage.
• Healthcare clearinghouses: The organization where the medical data are processed.

Meanwhile, Business associates are companies such as IT service providers and billing companies that work with covered entities and have access to PHI. 

Why use HIPAA-Compliant VoIP?

Patient confidentiality is crucial in healthcare as it fosters trust and comes under HIPAA compliance. Non-compliance can result in serious issues such as filthy fines, identity theft, fraud, and the damaged reputation of medical staff or organizations.  

Many renowned health organizations prefer HIPAA-compliant VoIP over conventional phone lines as it removes the risk of eavesdropping. The compliant VoIP phone service encrypts the conversation, a secured medium of communication channels to transmit private data. 

HIPAA-Compliant is used for the following benefits:

• Better Patient Privacy: Compliance in the healthcare sector ensures that patient information is protected from potential breaches. Access to medical data is restricted to authorized personnel only for better privacy. 
• Avoid Costly HIPAA Fines: Organizations not complying with HIPAA regulations may face heavy financial penalties. Therefore, to prevent such loss, the HIPAA-compliant VoIP system ensures that everyone meets the security standards.
• Enhanced Reputation and Patient Loyalty: To build customer trust, a secured communication system is essential in all business sectors. The organization’s commitment to protecting patient privacy enhances patients’ loyalty, setting them apart from their competitors. 

What are the main HIPAA rules?

1. Privacy Rule

The covered entities and business associates must comply with HIPAA regulations. These regulations ensure that patients have complete control over their health information. For many purposes, healthcare providers must obtain written authorization from patients before disclosing their PHI.

2. Security Rule

The primary objective of the security rule is to safeguard the patient’s ePHI from unauthorized access, interruption, or modification. The healthcare organization must encrypt all VoIP calls and messages using Transport Layer Security (TLS) and virtual private networks (VPN) protocols. 

3. The Breach Notification Rule

According to the Breach Notification Rule, healthcare organizations must notify patients when their confidential information is impermissibly disclosed or breached. They also need to inform the media and the secretary directly, who can take steps to reduce the chances of data misuse.

VoIP communications covered by HIPAA Compliant Phone Service

Here is the list of the communication channels covered by HIPAA-compliant phone services and they are:

• Calls: HIPAA compliance mandates that all phone conversations of healthcare organizations, including VoIP calls, be private and secure while discussing PHI. The VoIP phone system should be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access, fraud, or harm to one’s reputation. 
• SMS text messages: Text messages containing PHI must be encrypted and passed through a secure network. Healthcare providers must ensure that the recipient is authorized to receive the patient’s confidential information and that the message is received promptly without getting lost elsewhere.
• Voicemails: VoIP communications, such as voicemails, are covered by HIPAA-compliant phone service. This service ensures that voicemail messages are encrypted when transmitted via voicemail for security purposes.  
• Video Calls: HIPAA requires that video calling systems use secure user authentication and end-to-end encryption during calls to prevent unauthorized access to PHI.

List the benefits of HIPAA Compliant VoIP in healthcare

The advantages of HIPAA Compliant VoIP in healthcare sectors are: 

• Improved Secure Communication: The VoIP phone service with HIPAA enhances communication security between patients and medical professionals. Additionally, it can be helpful for telemedicine services in situations when in-person appointments are not possible.
• Enhanced Security Efficiency: VoIP phone service that operates over the Internet provides more features, privacy, security, flexibility, and reliability for businesses. VoIP providers use Transport Layer Security (TLS) or SIP over TLS to encrypt and protect the call data to prevent security threats such as phone scams, phishing, toll fraud, and malware.
• Increases in Customer Satisfaction: Upgrading to HIPAA-compliant VoIP Phone Service provides an additional security layer over the patient’s data. It prevents message tampering, calls eavesdropping, and other phone service interruptions, eventually enhancing customer satisfaction.  

It further enables the medical staff to offer multi-channel help through reliable communication options, such as live chats, voice and video calls, and messaging. 

Consequences of using a Non-HIPAA Compliant virtual number in business operation

When service providers, covered entities, and business associates fail to comply with HIPAA, all face heavy penalties ranging from $100 to $1.5 million, which can increase annually. The Memorial Healthcare System in Florida faced one of the highest penalties, $5.5 million, for HIPAA security and privacy violations. The violations of regulations result in several issues, such as:

•  Financial Penalties: Healthcare organizations using non-HIPAA-compliant phone numbers risk severe financial penalties. The severity of the crime will determine the fine.  
• Reputational Damage: Besides heavy fines, it negatively affects the company’s reputation, resulting in a loss of the patient’s trust, revenue, and employees.
• Technical difficulties: The virtual number that does not comply with HIPAA regulations is prone to cyberattacks. Due to various security threats, there are interruptions in phone service, degraded call quality, and the control of the organization’s PBX. 
• Legal Risk: The patients themself will sue the organizations and medical professionals for exposing their private information to third parties without their consent. 

Choosing the top 5 best HIPAA-Compliant VoIP provider

Many HIPAA-compliant providers in the market provide secure and reliable virtual numbers, primarily catering to the healthcare industry’s needs. Therefore, choose the best one with robust security features. 

I. Dialaxy

Dialaxy is a well-known HIPAA-compliant VoIP solution for modern call centers and businesses of all sizes and types. Due to its affordability, easy activation, and advanced features, it is also trusted by many healthcare industries. It strictly follows the rules and guidelines set by HIPAA to safeguard patient-sensitive data. 

Key features

• Virtual numbers from 100+ countries
• Multiple Phone Numbers
• Voicemail Drop
• SMS Filters
• Desktop/ Mobile/ Email Notification

Pros

• Affordable
• User-friendly interface
• High-quality voice calls
• Unlimited calling and texting

Cons

•  Internet Dependency

II. Nextiva

Nextiva is a leading unified and AI-powered business phone solution catering to the needs of companies of various sizes. It is renowned for its innovative features and enables smooth business communication. It also enhances agent efficiency and helps them deliver outstanding customer experiences across all channels. 

Additionally, it is a cost-effective provider that reduces employee turnover, builds revenue and helps businesses establish a local presence in the international market. It compiles with HIPAA standards to secure the transmission of patient data in healthcare centers. 

Key features

• Instant Messaging
• Automated Attendants
• Software Pairing
• Call Routing

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Call recording features
• Helpful customer support

Cons

• Limited features
• Call issues

III. TalkRoute

Talkroute is a unified VoIP service provider that promptly manages inbound calls. It provides you with virtual, local, toll-free,800, and vanity numbers for over 50 countries at an economical rate. It enables businesses to interact with a global audience via text, calls, and video calls from anywhere. 

Talkroute is especially ideal for small and growing businesses whose monthly pricing starts at $19. Unfortunately, it’s HIPAA compliance is restricted. This supplier’s text messaging service is limited to sending SMS messages that do not contain PHI (protected health information).

Key features

• IVR
• Customizable caller ID
• Reporting and Analytics
• Voicemail transcription

Pros

• Simple implementation and fast activation
• Unique features include call stacking, live call transfer, caller ID, etc. 

Cons

• Absence of customer support
• Low storage of voicemail box

IV. 8*8

8*8 is one of the best HIPAA-compliant VoIP providers that offers a virtual number to 100+ countries. It enables the business owner to establish a virtual office in the locations without allocating physical offices or local employees.  

Furthermore, it offers businesses a competitive price range for chat, phone calls, and video solutions. It also provides unlimited international and domestic calling to its consumers. Importantly, it compiles with HIPPA regulations, making it a go-to provider for secured business communication. 

Features

• IVR
• Session recording
• Auto Dialer
• Reporting and Dashboards

Pros

• Seamless integration capabilities with renowned business apps and helpdesk tools
• Unlimited calling to at least 14 countries

Cons

• Difficulties in switching between headsets and managing settings
• It is expensive for small businesses because the subscription costs range from around $24 to $44 per user

V. Ooma

Ooma is a leading HIPAA-compliant VoIP provider that offers advanced VoIP solutions for business and residential usage. It is ideal for businesses that provide phone, video, and customizable messaging solutions for any business size. It further includes home phone service and intelligent security solutions for residential users.

Additionally, it offers HIPAA-compliant phone service to uphold the highest level of security for confidential patient information. Therefore, it is ideal for healthcare facilities to enhance business communication and protect patient data from unauthorized individuals. 

Key Features

• Voicemail Transcription
• Conference Calling
• HD Voice Quality
• Virtual Receptionist

Pros

• Economical
• Simple and easy setup
• Highly reliable

Cons

• Limited customization options
• Customer support can be improved

FAQs

What makes a phone number HIPAA compliant?

If phone numbers adhere to specific guidelines, such as having a unique ID, signing a business associate agreement, and following encryption, they can be considered HIPAA compliant. 

What are the VoIP compliance best practices for HIPAA in healthcare?

The best practices for HIPAA in healthcare are:

1. Execute a business associate agreement (BBA)
2. Encrypt your communications
3. Use approved business communication tools
4. Disable noncompliant features
5. Educate your team
6. Implement HIPAA-compliant VoIP

What are the main points to consider while choosing the best HIPAA-compliant VoIP provider?

They are:

1. Security features
2. Compliance expertise
3. Customer support
4. Scalability and integration
5. Pricing structure
6. Practice caution

What information is covered under the HIPAA?

The HIPAA covers the patient’s name, address, birth date, social security number, physical and mental health condition, and all the billing information.