Handing patient communication to an outside team is a compliance decision before it is an operational one. These are the questions worth asking in the first meeting.
The non-negotiables
- A signed Business Associate Agreement before any data moves
- Role-based access: specialists see only what their work requires
- Audit trails on every record touched
- Signed confidentiality agreements and training renewed annually
- A documented breach notification procedure with defined timelines
Questions that reveal maturity
Ask how access is revoked when someone leaves the account. Ask who reviews the audit log, and how often. Ask what happens to recordings and notes at the end of the contract. Vague answers here are the warning sign.
If you operate in Europe too
GDPR applies alongside HIPAA, not instead of it. Confirm the vendor operates under both frameworks and adapts to whatever additional requirements your insurers impose.
