HIPAA Compliant Website Builder & Developer
How To Become HIPAA Compliant – Medical Websites for Doctors. Is My Website HIPAA Compliant?
As a medical provider or a healthcare office manager, or an administrator, you have several options.
1) Using many tools and apps available, you can embark on the trial and error journey to build your own medical, dental, healthcare focused HIPAA compliant website. Pros : 1) Personal satisfaction 2) Low cost Cons : 1) Wasted time, effort 2) Results are likely to be sub-optimal 3) May not be HIPAA compliant
2) Hire a freelancer to provide basic components of a nice looking medical, dental, healthcare website. Next you will need to worry about HIPAA compliance, or lack thereof. Pros : 1) Low cost Cons : 1) Incomplete medical marketing strategy 2) Results are likely to be sub-optimal 3) May not be HIPAA compliant
3) Hire a professional medical marketing company. These companies are professionals and they only focus on medical, dental, healthcare websites. Once the website is completed, you will need to make sure that BAA is issued and HIPAA compliance is covered. You will still need additional apps to complete your marketing strategy. Pros : 1) Website will look professional 2) will probably will have SEO 3) will probably will have excellent conversion 4) Support is provided when need it the most Cons : 1) Cost is usually $3500 to $6000 for setup of a professional healthcare website 2) Monthly maintenance and support is extra cost 3) Apps are not included 4) Conversion tracking software are not included, like CRM 5) May not be HIPAA compliant. 6) May not be A/B tested 7) Social media, Email marketing, SMS/Texting is usually extra cost.
4) Use PatientGain’s GOLD monthly service. There are no upfront costs. Gold service is fully integrated new patient marketing solution with google SEO optimized website. Costs $799/mon – $1299/mon with superior customer happiness. Used by hundreds of dental and medical practices in usa & canada. Conversion & SEO focused A/B tested website, quality content, your custom branding, apps, social media, email marketing, texting/sms, awesome customer service, hipaa compliant crm & modern features included in the gold service. Medical marketing apps and algorithms from PatientGain leverage machine learning, data mining and artificial intelligence to score conversion rates of your leads. This enables us to add useful, valuable content to your medical website.
A HIPAA-compliant website builder for healthcare ensures that your website adheres to the stringent privacy and security requirements set forth by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These website builders are specifically designed to protect sensitive patient information and facilitate secure online interactions between healthcare providers and patients. Here’s an overview of what a HIPAA-compliant website builder does:
Table of Contents:
- Key Features and Functions of a HIPAA Compliant Website Builder
- Benefits of Using a HIPAA Compliant Website Builder
- Choosing a HIPAA Compliant Website Builder
- Common Challenges and Considerations
- Best Practices for TCPA Compliance
- Conclusion
Key Features and Functions of a HIPAA Compliant Website Builder
- Data Encryption:
- Protects patient information by encrypting data both at rest and in transit, ensuring that sensitive information is secure.
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL):
- Ensures secure communication between the website and visitors, protecting data from being intercepted by unauthorized parties.
- Access Controls:
- Limits access to patient data to authorized personnel only, employing multi-factor authentication and role-based access controls to safeguard information.
- Audit Trails:
- Tracks user activity on the website to identify potential security breaches and maintain detailed logs of all activities for compliance monitoring.
- Business Associate Agreements (BAAs):
- Provides legal protection for healthcare providers by requiring website builders to sign BAAs, ensuring they adhere to HIPAA regulations.
- HIPAA-Compliant Forms:
- Offers secure forms for collecting patient information, such as appointment requests, medical history, and intake forms, ensuring the data is encrypted and protected.
- Patient Portals:
- Enables secure patient access to their health records, appointment information, and communication with healthcare providers through an integrated patient portal.
- Compliance Support:
- Provides resources and guidance to help healthcare providers maintain HIPAA compliance, including regular security audits and updates.
- Secure Hosting:
- Provides secure hosting environments with advanced firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and regular security audits to protect patient data.
- Data Storage and Backup:
- Ensures that patient data is stored securely and backed up regularly to prevent data loss and facilitate recovery in case of a breach or technical failure.
- Third-Party Integrations:
- Supports integration with third-party applications, such as electronic health records (EHR) systems, telehealth platforms, and payment gateways, while ensuring that these integrations are HIPAA-compliant.
Benefits of Using a HIPAA Compliant Website Builder
- Protect Patient Privacy:
- Safeguards sensitive patient information from unauthorized access and breaches.
- Maintain Compliance:
- Ensures that your website meets all HIPAA requirements, reducing the risk of non-compliance penalties and legal issues.
- Enhance Patient Experience:
- Offers secure online services such as appointment scheduling, patient portals, and secure communication channels, improving patient satisfaction and engagement.
- Build Trust:
- Demonstrates a commitment to patient privacy and security, building trust with patients by ensuring their information is protected.
Choosing a HIPAA Compliant Website Builder
When selecting a HIPAA-compliant website builder for your healthcare practice, consider the following factors:
- Security Features:
- Ensure the builder offers robust security features, including encryption, secure hosting, SSL, and access controls.
- Compliance Support:
- Look for builders that provide support for HIPAA compliance, including BAAs, audit trails, and regular security audits.
- Ease of Use:
- Choose a builder with an intuitive content management system (CMS) that allows you to manage website content easily.
- Integration Capabilities:
- Ensure the builder supports integration with your existing systems, such as EHR and telehealth platforms.
- Customer Support:
- Opt for a provider that offers reliable customer support to assist with any technical or compliance issues.
Common Challenges and Considerations
- Defining Healthcare-Related:
- Determining what constitutes a healthcare-related message can be complex.
- Patient Consent:
- While not required for healthcare-related communications, obtaining explicit consent for marketing or non-treatment-related messages is essential.
- Automated Systems:
- Using autodialers or prerecorded messages for healthcare-related calls might still require specific exemptions or consent.
- Text Messaging:
- While convenient, text messaging can pose challenges related to message length, content, and documentation.
Best Practices for TCPA Compliance
- Develop Clear Communication Policies:
- Define what constitutes healthcare-related communication and establish guidelines for patient interactions.
- Document Consent:
- Even for healthcare-related communications, consider documenting patient consent to build a stronger compliance posture.
- Train Staff:
- Ensure employees understand TCPA and HIPAA regulations to avoid violations.
- Monitor and Review:
- Regularly review communication practices to identify potential risks and areas for improvement.
Conclusion
A HIPAA-compliant website builder is essential for healthcare providers looking to create a secure, user-friendly, and compliant online presence. By leveraging these specialized tools, medical practices can protect patient information, ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations, and improve overall patient engagement and satisfaction. Utilizing a HIPAA-compliant website builder helps healthcare providers avoid costly penalties, enhance the patient experience, and build trust by demonstrating a commitment to patient privacy and security.
PatientGain.com customers can request a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) before using PatientGain.com services that handle PHI. PatientGain.com offers a BAA covering selected PatientGain.com apps. Our customers are responsible for determining whether they are subject to HIPAA requirements and whether they use or intend to use PatientGain.com Apps in connection with their PHI. Customers who have not entered into a BAA with PatientGain.com must NOT use PatientGain.com services in connection with PHI. Details of HIPAA rules and safeguards can be found here. http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/
PatientGain.com websites and data stores run on secure high performance servers located in the USA. All PHI information is stored in compliance with HIPAA guidelines. Contact us for more details.
If you have a medical website and potential patients or existing patients communicate with you using the website to call you, send Emails or send forms, you are likely receiving patient information that may include PHI.
If you have been audited for a HIPAA violation, you may be asked to provide a Business Associate Agreements (BAA) from all vendors, including your website provider, who may have transported, viewed, stored, or handled PHI. As a clinic business owner it is your responsibility to address BAA requirements from all providers of services to your medical practice.
PatientGain.com provides BAA for its customers. In order to understand what is covered, let’s review four major areas of HIPAA regulations and some definitions.
What is a Covered Entity: In HIPAA legal language, a Covered Entity is the medical practice providing services to patients. This would mean your clinic or medical facility.
What is a Business Associate: A Business Associate is a service provider or vendor that provides services, technology, websites, software, etc. to the Covered Entity.
What is a Business Associate Agreement (BAA): A BAA is a legal document provided to your clinic, that states in detail that the Business Associate has taken necessary steps, in accordance with HIPAA regulations, to provide security and other measures to protect PHI.
It is important to note that Covered Entities and their Business Associates need to protect the privacy and security of Protected Health Information (PHI). But, it gets more complicated when you start to put together a to-do list. Covered entities are required to apply the appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the privacy of protected health information. This applies to all forms of protected health information. As such, covered entities are not permitted to abandon PHI or dispose of such information so that it would be accessible to the public or unauthorized individuals. Covered Entities are required to train their workforce on the proper disposal of PHI. It is important to note that under federal standards, the “workforce” includes volunteers. Covered entities should also determine what steps are required to dispose of Protected Health Information while complying with HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.
There are four key rules:
1. HIPAA Privacy Rule
2. HIPAA Security Rule
3. HIPAA Enforcement Rule
4. HIPAA Breach Notification Rule
As far as action items are concerned, you need to follow the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HIPAA Security Rule. You also need to provide notification following a breach of unsecured protected health information according to the Breach Notification Rule. This article is not a definitive list of what is required for HIPAA compliance, you should assign a Privacy Officer to review each rule in its entirety. This article is intended to point you in the right direction. PatientGain.com will provide BAA for your clinic, if requested.
PatientGain.com apps for healthcare clinics save the PHI information in secure servers that meet HIPAA guidelines.