There is no doubt that when HIPAA was passed, the lawmakers meant well.  HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.  It was meant to protect workers and their families in the event of a job change or job loss, since most American's health insurance is tied to their employer.

Unfortunately, judging by the millions spent on HIPAA training nationwide, the full implications of the act are not being completely understood.  The part of HIPAA that can be the most problematic has to do with information management.  Title II of HIPAA governs the confidentiality of health information, meaning that any agency providing call support for a physician's office needs to be complaint with HIPAA rules.

Fortunately, you can protect yourself from any potential litigation by choosing an established call support agency to be your partner.  As part of the initial evaluation and getting to know each other period, don't be afraid to ask them if they are up to date on their HIPAA training requirements.  If they give any answer that makes you suspicious, then you simply need to find a more trustworthy agency to work with for your business.

The HIPAA training requirement shouldn't be hard for most good agencies to meet.  After all, a good call service is staffed by real professionals with a proper medical background.  As an extension of your office, it is only right to expect them to adhere to the same standards that you do in your face to face interactions with patients.

In fact, instead of just meeting your basic expectations, you will find that most good agencies go beyond that.  They are more than willing to work with your office on every call to ensure compliance and to keep records properly maintained and updated.  You will find that instead of a worry, having a good call agency helping with call screening and information management is a relief.