This content was produced in partnership with iPlum.
In today’s data-driven world, healthcare professionals need a secure and reliable way to communicate with their clients — and just as importantly, one that’s compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). With the need to protect patient data, HIPAA requires that all electronic communication containing protected health information must be secure, encrypted, and properly documented. This is where iPlum comes in, offering secure patient-to-physician communications that are HIPAA compliant. Yes, as a family doctor this means you can communicate easily with your patients and check on their well-being. Right now, you can save 25% when you sign up for an annual plan.
“Hello Richard, we’re looking forward to seeing you today at Dr. Ford’s colonoscopy clinic!”
Imagine a text message like this, meant for you, going to the wrong number, or being intercepted by someone in your life, maybe a colleague. It’s not just an embarrassing event, but could actually be a serious breach of federal regulations — put in place to protect you from exactly this sort of thing. That’s precisely why HIPAA texting , or rather compliant communications are so important.
The iPlum platform is a secure messaging and calling service that offers healthcare professionals a way to communicate with their clients in a HIPAA-compliant manner. Patients and healthcare proponents can communicate, securely and safely, whether that’s confirming or establishing appointments, sharing personal health information, or even just checking in on one another. You may be surprised to find out that one of the primary ways HIPAA regulations are violated is because when sensitive information exchanges hands, identities are not verified. Proof of identity is a must when sharing extremely sensitive health information, as you never know who’s on the other end of those digital communications. These measures prevent the related data — which could be harmful in some cases — from falling into the wrong hands. Imagine if your diagnosis was shared with neighbors, colleagues, or strangers.
iPlum provides safeguards against unauthorized access, by using identity checks, locking down the related data and information, and establishing strong controls for reporting and auditing. It works like this. You’re issued a second number that acts like an extra wireless line tied to your existing mobile number, and then, you use iPlum as a separate dedicated interface (complete with unique ringtones and custom notifications) for encrypted messaging and calling with your healthcare professionals — it’s the other way around for doctors communicating with clients and/or patients. With end-to-end encryption, all communication between the involved parties is protected, from the time the message is sent to the time it is received. This ensures that even if a message is intercepted, the sensitive information contained within is fully protected, essentially scrambled behind that encryption.
You can use iPlum to record calls and create voicemail transcripts, too. This makes it easy to keep records of important messages and calls, including the date, time, and content of each. This information can be used to demonstrate HIPAA compliance if required, and can also be used for auditing purposes. Most importantly, it’s secured, encrypted, and not available for access on a vulnerable server or system – pesky hackers can’t scoop it up and use it against you. HIPAA texting protocols call for this same security and encryption.
As HIPAA compliance also requires, iPlum team accounts allow for and support multiple practitioners, but more importantly, companies can manage and secure all healthcare workers from this central platform. In addition to stringent controls, this meets HIPAA’s archive requirements.
The iPlum Phone Tree, a mobile cloud phone system, offers an auto-attendant, with dedicated extensions, and it’s easy to set up. Incoming callers are always greeted appropriately and transferred to the correct extension without having to interact with an operator or receptionist. There is no additional cost, despite it being a key requirement for modern healthcare practices.
Finally, and just as importantly, iPlum is intuitive and user-friendly. It’s available for both iOS and Android mobile devices and can be used on desktop and laptop computers, including Chromebooks. This makes it easy for healthcare professionals to communicate with clients, whether they are in the office or on the go, without having to spend precious time learning the ins and outs of complicated software. No one needs to invest in exclusive or proprietary hardware either, because it’s accessible on devices that everyone already has.
Patients rarely get to see the administrative side of HIPAA violations, but did you know that civil breaches can accrue up to $50,000 in fines per violation? Meanwhile, willful neglect, meaning someone knowingly breaches HIPAA, without timely correction can result in a fine of up to $1.5 million. It’s serious business, so ensuring the communications are appropriately protected is in everyone’s best interest — not just the patient’s!
Overall, iPlum is a secure, reliable, and easy-to-use platform for healthcare professionals to communicate with clients in a HIPAA-compliant manner — enabling true HIPAA texting and communications. With its end-to-end messaging encryption, calling and secure voicemail, and slick user-friendly interface, iPlum is the perfect solution for healthcare organizations that need to protect their client’s sensitive information while communicating efficiently. There are monthly and annual HIPAA compliant plans available with dedicated phone numbers. Annual plans are currently discounted by 25%, making them the more enticing option over monthly plans.
