This content was produced in partnership with iPlum.
In today’s data-driven world, healthcare professionals need a safe and reliable way to communicate with their clients — and just as importantly, one that is HIPAA-compliant. With the need to protect patient data, HIPAA requires that all electronic communications containing protected health information be secure, encrypted, and properly documented. This is where iPlum comes in, offering secure HIPAA-compliant patient-physician communications. Yes, as a family physician, this means that you can easily communicate with your patients and check on their well-being. Now, you can save 25% when you sign up for an annual plan.
“Hi Richard, we look forward to seeing you today at Dr. Ford’s Colonoscopy Clinic!”
Imagine a text message like this, mean to you, goes to the wrong number, or gets intercepted by someone in your life, maybe a colleague. Not only is it an embarrassing occurrence, but it could actually be a serious violation of federal regulations — it was put in place to protect you from exactly that sort of thing. This is exactly why or rather compatible connections are very important.
The iPlum platform is a secure messaging and communications service that provides healthcare professionals with a way to communicate with their clients in a HIPAA-compliant manner. Patients and healthcare advocates can communicate safely and securely, whether it’s to confirm or schedule appointments, share personal health information, or even just check in with each other. You might be surprised to learn that one of the primary ways HIPAA regulations are violated is that when sensitive information is exchanged between hands, identities are not verified. Proof of identity is a must when sharing highly sensitive health information, as you never know who is on the other end of those digital connections. These measures prevent relevant data – which in some cases could be harmful – from falling into the wrong hands. Imagine if your diagnosis was shared with neighbours, colleagues or strangers.
iPlum provides safeguards against unauthorized access, using identity checks, locking down data and related information, and establishing robust reporting and auditing controls. It works like this. It’s just released a second number that acts as an additional wireless line linked to your existing mobile phone number, and after that, you use iPlum as a separate dedicated interface (complete with unique ringtones and personalized notifications) for encrypted messages and calling healthcare professionals. – It’s the other way for clinicians to communicate with clients and/or patients. With end-to-end encryption, all communications between the parties involved are protected, from the time a 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 mixed behind this encryption.
You can use iPlum to record calls and create voicemail transcripts as well. This makes it easy to keep records of important messages and calls, including the date, time, and content of each. This information may be used to demonstrate HIPAA compliance if necessary, and may also be used for audit purposes. Most importantly, it’s secured, encrypted, and inaccessible on a vulnerable server or system – pesky hackers can’t pick it up and use it against you. The protocols call for the same security and encryption.
As HIPAA compliance also requires, iPlum team accounts allow and support multiple practitioners, but more importantly, businesses can manage and secure all healthcare workers from this centralized platform. In addition to the stringent controls, this meets HIPAA archive requirements.
A portable cloud phone system, the iPlum Phone Tree provides auto attendant, comes with custom extensions, and is easy to set up. Incoming callers are always greeted appropriately and transferred to the correct extension without having to interact with the operator or receptionist. There is no additional cost, although it is a basic requirement of modern healthcare practices.
Finally, and just as important, iPlum is intuitive and easy to use. 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’re in the office or on the go, without having to spend valuable time learning the ins and outs of complex software. No one needs to invest in exclusive or proprietary devices either, because they can be accessed on devices that everyone already owns.
Patients rarely see the administrative side of HIPAA violations, but did you know that civil violations can rack up up to $50,000 in fines per violation? Meanwhile, willful negligence, which means someone knowingly violates HIPAA, without timely correction can result in a fine of up to $1.5 million. It’s serious business, so ensuring communications are appropriately protected is in everyone’s interest – not just the patient!
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 text messaging and communication. With end-to-end message encryption, calling, secure voicemail, and an intuitive interface, iPlum is the perfect solution for healthcare organizations that need to protect their customers’ sensitive information while communicating efficiently. There are HIPAA-compliant monthly and yearly plans available with dedicated phone numbers. Annual plans are currently discounted by 25%, making them the more enticing option over monthly plans.
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