From the January 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Cloud providers can help customers to ensure that the services they provide meet all technical safeguards and standards set forth by the HIPAA, HITECH and Omnibus acts. Outsourced cloud compliance should provide customers with a dedicated virtual switch that moves traffic through a dedicated firewall and restricts inbound and outbound communications. Limiting access to customer firewalls, routers, switches and other infrastructure equipment can also ensure that patient ePHI data is secure.
Physical access to data centers should be restricted to approved personnel, and the IT team should be monitored and assessed for vulnerabilities at all times. By partnering with an external cloud compliance organization, data backup, disaster recovery and incident management considerations can be consistently monitored to separate this responsibility from the health care system. Intrusion prevention and detection services in these cloud compliance agencies are other features that provide health care organizations with the assurance they need to make sure they can fully function regardless of the circumstances.
Cloud call centers are a prominent form of outsourced compliant cloud architecture that enable business continuity while also unifying multiple locations and remote agents on an integrated platform. The cloud call center, while complying with HIPAA, allows contact center managers to have greater agent control in partnership with business analytics that drive operational insight. As these features are delivered as a cloud service, organizations are able to upgrade to advanced features without CAPEX investment.
Cloud-based call centers provide control and benefits to health care organizations that cannot easily be achieved with on-site systems and equipment, which are often cumbersome. Managers are given access to new features while avoiding unexpected fees, allowing the customer relationship to remain strong. The cloud call center, in maintaining cloud compliance, maximizes the intrinsic value of the cloud, even for more complex operations such as multi-location call centers. Health care leaders must consider the benefits of cloud compliance partnerships to ensure that they have the right security regulations in place. With these systems in place, health care organizations can truly support their medical practices and put patients first.
About the author: Dave McCrystal is the vertical marketing manager, health care, at Evolve IP.Back to HCB News
