5 Best HIPAA-Compliant Call Center Software To Consider for Your Healthcare Company

Call center software can really ease your and your team’s lives. Its automatic dialing, intelligent call routing, IVR system, and other features can keep patient communication teams from getting bogged down.

But a challenge and only a handful of healthcare call center software products actually solve it: HIPAA compliance.

The gist is this: your call center software must follow defined federal rules around collection and usage of electronic personal health information (ePHI). This means having the right data privacy and security mechanisms and compliance certificates in place.

Non-compliance can result in penalties of up to $250,000 and even jail time. Clearly, getting HIPAA-compliant call center software is non-negotiable.

To help you navigate the market (and hopefully cut down on your research hours), we’ve compiled a list of compliant software that is also packed with useful patient communication features.

Quick Overview: Best HIPAA-compliant phone service software options

1. JustCall: A cloud solution for healthcare providers, hospitals, and medical centers. It offers EHR/PM integration, AI-driven patient engagement features like automated appointment reminders and follow-ups. 2. NICE CXone: An enterprise-grade HIPAA-compliant contact center suite tailored for healthcare organizations. It has robust auto dialer capabilities for optimized patient outreach campaigns and blends digital and voice channels for personalized patient interactions. 3. Talkdesk: A robust voice and messaging platform that seamlessly integrates with EHRs. It equips healthcare call centers with customizable dialing modes (preview, progressive, predictive) for streamlined patient communication. 4. Genesys Cloud CX: Versatile hospital call center software that automates patient communication workflows. The platform offers multiple dialing modes, real-time analytics on patient data, and seamless EHR integration. 5. Five9: An intelligent HIPAA call center software platform that crafts compliant dialing strategies for healthcare providers’ patient outreach, appointment scheduling, and customer service needs. It features a predictive dialer and skills-based routing for appropriate medical staff.

what exactly is a healthcare call center software?

It’s software specifically built to help healthcare companies streamline call center operations.

This is made possible primarily with inbound and outbound calling and messaging features. However, some of the best platforms also offer operational features beyond patient communication.

Essentially, if you’re struggling to manage a high volume of patient communication but don’t want to keep adding to your headcount to manage it, you get call center software.

And how do software providers comply with HIPAA?

HIPAA-compliant means following federal privacy and security standards to protect patient’s sensitive health information and ensure confidentiality.

Many call center software providers account for this with a strong privacy and security strategy for their products. For example, JustCall uses top-notch encryption to secure data, conducts regular penetration tests, works only with SOC2, PCI-DSS, and FedRAMP certified cloud hosts, etc.

The problem is many healthcare call centers don’t think about this when getting software. More importantly, some software vendors don’t inform their customers about compliance, usually because they don’t have the right mechanisms in place.

HIPAA compliance rules you should be aware of

The US Department of Health and Human Services has a defined list of HIPAA rules and regulations you must adhere to. It’s a lot of lengthy legal information, but the key compliance factors can be broken down into the following.

• Secure data handling: Call centers must securely handle and transmit personal health information (ePHI) using encryption and other safeguards.
• Access control: Only authorized personnel should have access to ePHI. Call centers should implement strict access controls and authentication measures.
• Audit trails: Call centers should maintain logs of access and changes to ePHI for accountability and auditing purposes.
• Employee training: All employees should receive training on HIPAA regulations and proper handling of ePHI.
• Business associate agreements: If the call center works with third parties that handle ePHI, they must have Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) in place to ensure compliance.
• Data retention and disposal: Call centers must follow regulations on how long ePHI can be retained and ensure proper disposal of data when it is no longer needed.
• Incident response: Call centers should have a plan for responding to data breaches or security incidents to mitigate damage and report incidents as required by law.
• Ongoing monitoring: Continuous monitoring of systems and processes is essential to identify and address potential vulnerabilities or non-compliance.

The bottom line: any software you bring into your healthcare business should let you secure your patient data, manage control, collaborate with third parties securely, and monitor your data ecosystem.

Important healthcare contact center software features

Given that HIPAA-compliant call center software options are few and far between, too many healthcare companies ‘settle’ for whichever product won’t get them penalized. We don’t need to tell you this (but we will anyway): this is a really bad idea.

You can have the most secure software on the planet and still burn most of your tech budget if you use inadequate software—and there’s no dearth of inadequate software.

So beyond HIPAA compliance, look for the following features in the healthcare call center software you shortlist.

Intelligent call routing

Intelligent call routing features like automated call distribution and interactive voice response (IVR) ensure that incoming calls are efficiently routed to the most appropriate agent.

This routing is based on agent skillset, language skills, and customer relationships. This helps reduce wait times for patients and improves first-call resolution rates.

Omnichannel communication

Omnichannel communication allows patients and healthcare providers to communicate across multiple channels easily. These channels include phone, email, live chat, and video conferencing. Patients can switch between channels without losing context or having to repeat information.

EMR/EHR integration

Integrating electronic medical or health records systems is key. It enables call center agents to access patient information for personalized service. Agents can update patient records with new details gathered during interactions. They receive automated notifications related to appointments, patient requests, or record changes.

AI-powered automation

HIPAA-compliant phone systems should have AI capabilities that automate repetitive tasks like scheduling patient appointments and billing inquiries. They should also assist with medical data analysis, remote monitoring, diagnoses, and personalized treatment plans.

5 of the best HIPAA-compliant call center software in the market today

Here’s our list of the best communication software you need to add to your shortlist: These software are compliant with HIPAA, does everything you need a healthcare call center software to do, and is scalable:

1. JustCall

JustCall is a cloud-based HIPAA-compliant phone service that’s a great fit for healthcare organizations, including small practices and larger organizations.

With its advanced voice and messaging capabilities, as well as cutting-edge AI that becomes a super member of your team, JustCall makes patient communication a breeze.

What you’ll love about JustCall

• Integrate all your tools for a unified patient view
• Automate call logging
• Route calls efficiently with IVR
• Call forwarding and transfer
• Call analytics
• Call queues

What does JustCall cost?

JustCall Base Plan

• Essentials: – $19 per month/per user
• Team: $29 per month/per user
• Pro: $49 per month/per user
• Business: Request quotation

JustCall Base Plan + AI Suite

• Team plus: $49 per month/per user
• Pro plus: $89 per month/per user
• Business: Request quotation

2. NICE CXone

NICE CXone Personal Connection is a powerful HIPAA-compliant VoIP service that helps medical practices reach more patients. It improves patient satisfaction and ensures compliance with industry regulations.

What you’ll love about NICE CXone

• Advanced compliance features for HIPAA and other healthcare regulations
• Omnichannel blending for calls, emails, and other patient interactions
• Real-time analytics and performance monitoring

What does NICE CXone cost?

• Voice agent: $94 per month/per user
• Omnichannel agent: $110 per month/per user
• Essential suite: $135 per month/per user
• Core suite: $169 per month/per user
• Complete suite: $209 per month/per user

3. Talkdesk

Talkdesk is a healthcare contact center software with personalized experiences across channels like voice, SMS, and chat. It efficiently routes interactions to agents and uses AI for advanced chatbots. It unifies key data from EHR and CRM systems in one easy interface and offers ready-to-launch workflows for streamlined patient access, making it a tailored healthcare solution.

What you’ll love about Talkdesk

• Preview, progressive, and predictive dialing modes
• Customizable dialing scripts and call dispositions
• Self-service support
• Real-time campaign monitoring and analytics
• Seamless integration with EHRs and practice management software

What does Talkdesk cost?

• CX Cloud Essentials: $85 per user/month
• CX Cloud Elevate: $115 per user/month
• CX Cloud Elite: $145 per user/month

4. Genesys Cloud CX

The Genesys Cloud Dialer is a versatile hospital call center software that integrates with existing cloud-based or on-premise setups. It allows medical practices to streamline operations by automating patient communication and triggering outbound calls directly from their healthcare applications and EHRs.

What you’ll love about Genesys Cloud CX

• Multiple dialing modes (preview, progressive, predictive)
• Highly customizable campaign strategies and patient communication workflows
• Real-time analytics and optimization capabilities
• Scalable IVR system
• Seamless integration with healthcare applications and EHRs

What does Genesys Cloud CX cost?

• Genesys Cloud 1: $75 per user/month
• Genesys Cloud 2: $115 per user/month
• Genesys Cloud 3: $155 per user/month

5. Five9

Five9’s healthcare and medical contact center solution provides tailored, HIPAA-compliant patient communication to help care teams build lasting relationships. With cloud-powered tools and intelligent virtual agents, it streamlines workflows and improves patient loyalty. AI automation frees up live agents for high-value work, while security safeguards health information and workforce optimization ensures quality and compliance.

What you’ll love about Five9

• Predictive dialer with advanced pacing algorithms
• Skills-based routing to connect patients with appropriate medical staff
• Department-based call routing capabilities also present
• Blended dialing across inbound and outbound patient communication channels

What does Five9 cost?

• Core: $175 per user/month
• Premium: $235 per user/month
• Optimum: $290 per user/month
• Ultimate: $325 per user/month

Important next steps for you

Once you’ve explored all of the healthcare call center software options listed above, we recommend mapping out the exact capabilities your team needs and comparing each product against these requirements.

Next, for whichever software makes it to your final shortlist, chat with the vendor and ask them the hard questions about their compliance practices. Don’t just go by what they say on their website or what users say on G2.

It’s also vital that you take a free trial of the software. For example, JustCall offers a 14-day trial with full access to everything in one of its more advanced plans. What if a vendor only lists a demo on its website? Ask for a free trial for you and your team, regardless.

Finally, do a cost-benefit analysis. Most healthcare contact center software is sold on subscription plans priced per user, so your software spend will usually depend on the size of your patient communication team.

To account for the total cost of ownership, factor in calling and messaging rates, costs for add-on features, installation and storage, additional phone lines, any licensing fees, etc. This will give you a fairly good estimate of your annual/monthly overhead.