HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, had a lot to say on the subject of privacy. HIPAA also has a lot to say on the subject of technology. Health information can't be transmitted electronically except in safe and secure ways. Password systems, encryption, and secure portals are examples of safe ways to transmit data. Facilities that deal with private health information have to have a risk management plan, too, detailing how they intend to keep data safe.
The new HITECH act, Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health, raises the bar further still. Now "business associates" as well as health-care providers are required to ensure that their data is secure. It is also necessary to ensure that the computers where data is stored are secure. For small practices, this can be a burden.
SmartPay can help. With SmartPay, health data revealed on invoices is always secure. You can send an email to your patients letting them know that an invoice is ready for them at your secure portal. There is no need to transmit any sensitive data directly, no need to print out or create paper records for invoices, and no need to add security measures to your office computers. Since SmartPay gives you the option of making payments for your customers by phone, it is even suitable for rural areas or older patient populations, in which internet access can be an issue for some patients.
Eligible health professionals who make "meaningful use" of electronic records systems will receive payments under the new stimulus package, which makes it easier to switch to electronic billing now than ever before. The costs of switching -- never a real issue when you use SmartPay -- will be more than covered.
One concern is that the electronic system you use must be "certified," yet the details of certification haven't yet been settled. It could be the end of 2009 before these details are made clear. However, programs will be required to do the following things:
(1) protect the privacy of health information
(2) ensure the comprehensive collection of patient demographic and clinical data
(3) include patient demographic and clinical health information
(4) have the capacity to provide clinical decision and physician order entry
Some of these criteria apply more to EHR programs than to invoicing. Nonetheless, you can feel confident with SmartPay on all these points, because SmartPay is customizable. Filtering features, customizable invoices, and a high level of control over data collection and storage mean that whichever direction the requirements take as HITECH develops, your practice will be able to adjust.
Easily. Without additional costs.
Contact SmartPay to discuss your particular needs.