Currently the answer to the question "do all medical transcription companies provide HIPAA compliant services" is "no." HIPAA compliance is however, important with regard to safeguarding sensitive patient information. Recently, the KPMG, a U.S. audit, tax and advisory services firm was given a contract by the HHS (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) to carry out HIPAA privacy and security audits. Though the audits are to date known to be limited to "covered entities" (which the majority of medical transcription services are not), it cannot be ruled out that these audits may soon be conducted on "business associates" as well. The HITECH ACT in fact shows the need for audits on business associates. This might inspire more service providers to become HIPAA compliant in future.
Medical Transcription Outsourcing Companiesand HIPAA Compliance
These companies adopt a number of measures for the safety and security of PHI (Patient Health Information) including:
- Password protection of computers and Windows
- Password protection of storage lockers
- 126 or 256 bit AES encryption for file transfer
- Training given to workforce on HIPAA guidelines
- Monitoring of workforce for adherence to HIPAA guidelines
- No employee is permitted to carry into the company or take out from it any written documents, paper, floppies, PDA, laptops, or other electronic devices
- Employees are searched before they enter and as they leave the company for the day
- Antivirus software and firewalls are updated regularly
- Routine technical assessments are carried out to ensure that the infrastructure satisfies or even exceeds the necessary security requirements
- Any transcriptionists, administrators or other persons who have to handle voice files, patient records or other sensitive information would have got suitable clearances for the same and would have signed secrecy agreements
- Any damaged hard copies of patient data are shredded on site
- Back-ups are done at intervals and stored securely under lock and key
- The services of 24/7 security personnel are used
- Fire extinguisher and smoke alarm
- No subcontractors
- Random checks
Finding the Right Service Provider
You may be reading this article because you own or manage a healthcare practice and are considering outsourcing to an HIPAA compliant medical transcription services provider.
Well, if that's the case, the first thing you can do is enquire with friends or colleagues about whether they know of any HIPAA compliant companies. You can even make a search in Google and other important search engines. Put the names of the different companies you've found into a list and compare their other service benefits. Benefits can include accuracy levels, transcription for your particular medical specialty, flexibility in supported media for dictation and file transfer, HL7 interface, enabling of online viewing and editing, digital/electronic signature capabilities, good turnaround, responsive and helpful technical support, cost-effectiveness and anywhere access.After you have short-listed some companies based on your comparisons, you can check out testimonials and reviews about those companies posted online. Try to get in touch with the people who have supplied those accounts to verify their experiences and get first-hand information from them. Contact the companies by phone or meet their staff in person to get an idea if they would be ideal for your need. Remember that all companies do not provide HIPAA compliant medical transcription services and sometimes may not satisfy some of your other requirements as well. Therefore, it is important that you identify the right company to partner with.
Do All Medical Transcription Companies Provide HIPAA Compliant Services?