How to Stay HIPAA Compliant While Managing Your Reputation
October 22, 2021
As technology develops, it becomes increasingly apparent that we live in a consumerist society, and the healthcare industry is no exception. With 80% of people
going to the internet first when searching for a healthcare provider, healthcare professionals and medical practices need a strong online presence now more than ever.
A good online reputation helps get people at the door, but the healthcare industry has a unique problem—how do you manage your online patient reviews while remaining HIPAA guidelines compliant?
What is HIPAA Compliance?
HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which is a federal law that protects the privacy of patients and their health records. HIPAA requires that protected health information (PHI) has to stay confidential when being created, received, transmitted, or maintained. Protected health information usually includes personal details like name, date of birth, address, and phone number, as well as any information regarding the patients’ appointment details, diagnosis, test results, treatments, and more.
Since HIPAA is meant to protect patients' information, it makes public reviews a little more complicated. The question of whether a patient or provider might disclose protected health information, or if responses aren’t handled appropriately can make review management seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.
HIPAA Compliance Checklist
1. Work With a HIPAA-Compliant Team
It’s important to know HIPAA regulations before engaging with online review management in healthcare. Working with a compliance team can help you create a list of HIPAA compliant reviews and HIPAA compliant responses to common questions or situations that might come up in reviews. Any doctors and staff can then use these responses as a template while answering reviews.
2. Maintain Anonymity
While it’s usually important to be as personable as possible in review management, the healthcare industry requires anonymity. Do not refer to the reviewer by name, or even username; instead, use “you,” vague statements, or third-person language that doesn’t give away whether they are patients of your practice. However, do remember to thank them for their review!
However, if a review from a patient includes protected health information, you don’t necessarily need to delete it. Just be sure there is no acknowledgment that the patient is from your practice.
3. Take the Conversation Offline
When it comes to negative or less than five-star reviews, it’s vital that you take the conversation offline to make sure there is no accidental disclosure of protected health information. While you may want to solve the situation right there, your response could violate HIPAA compliance. Instead, politely request that they reach out to you through another channel so you can discuss their problem in more detail and answer any questions they might have.
Online reputation management is now indispensable for the healthcare industry and is critical for the success of healthcare providers. Unfortunately, a lot of people in the healthcare industry don’t have the time to respond to reviews promptly, especially while keeping HIPAA compliance in mind—but that’s where Clinician Box
comes in!
Our HIPAA compliant platform
lets you manage your reviews across various sites with ease. To learn more, call us at 833-CLINBOX or contact us online!
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