Here's why that matters:
When it comes to trusting a Virtual Assistant Team to handle your business information, there is no greater relief than to rest assured that the company accessing your private data is HIPAA compliant. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is United States legislation that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information and ensures confidential handling (HHS.gov).
Some of the rights granted by the federal Privacy Rule highlight an individual’s right to request their own medical records, get a report on why their records were shared, have corrections made to their medical records, and file complaints if they think their data was misused or violated (HHS.gov).
As we work with clients in the healthcare space, Virtual Assist USA eliminates concerns by taking important actions to ensure their services to medical professionals are non-disclosure and in accordance with the law. These actions include:
Extensive Encryption
Encryption is the process of converting data information into a code so that any unwanted or unauthorized access can be prevented. At Virtual Assist USA, we leverage end-to-end encryption on each database instance.
All data is encrypted with 256-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) with the RC4 algorithm and 2048-bit key length. Our hosting partner published a Service Organization Controls 1 (SOC 1) report, under both SSAE 16 and ISAE 3402 standards.
Documentation
When one of our clients needs HIPAA certification, we provide a U.S. legal-approved Business Associate Agreement (BAA). The agreement comprises of our standard confidentiality and non-disclosure contract agreement (NDA) with additional HIPAA required wording for Business Associate Agreements.
Team Compliance
Documents and encryption are excellent, but we take it a step further and implement a strict process that requires any virtual assistant or team member to highlight any potential disclosure of patient information.
Where permission is granted by our clients to access information, our system completely tracks which user accessed what information and at what time.
Why is it important?
Virtual Assist USA knows how important it is to adhere to rules and regulations and to protect patients. We respect and value the confidentiality of sensitive information and that is why we implement encryption, provide documentation, and team compliance to ensure that working with medical professionals is always in accordance with federal law.
For more information on HIPAA and Health Information Policies, visit HHS.gov.
