Alpine Access completes third party audit for compliance with HIPAA and HITECH Acts

Alpine Access, the premier provider of virtual contact center solutions and services, today announced it completed an independent, third party audit for compliance with HIPAA and HITECH Act data security requirements. After an in-depth review of its policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the administrative, physical, and technical requirements of HIPAA's Privacy and Security Rules, the company's independent data security auditor determined that the existing data security program incorporates all necessary controls to validate compliance with the new rules.

"Information security and privacy is something Alpine Access has always taken very seriously," said Christopher M. Carrington, President and CEO of Alpine Access. "We were the first virtual call center to achieve PCI DSS Service Level 1 compliance and we are now taking another leadership role by meeting the rigorous standards for securing Protected Health Information (PHI). Although it took a serious commitment from our entire organization, deploying program controls in compliance with the HIPAA and HITECH Acts gives our healthcare clients peace of mind knowing they are getting the best and most secure service possible."

Alpine Access undertook an in-depth review of its policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the administrative, physical, and technical requirements of HIPAA's Privacy and Security Rules, as well as the privacy requirements mandated by Subtitle D of the HITECH Act. The company also engaged Coalfire Systems, a leading independent IT audit firm, to complete the program review. "Alpine Access has not only demonstrated a seasoned security program with controls designed to achieve full compliance with HIPAA and HITECH, we have also audited them as being PCI DSS Level 1 certified for three years in a row," stated Rick Dakin, president and co-founder of Coalfire Systems. "They have taken a leadership position in proving the viability of a highly secure and compliant environment across a large and distributed workforce."

As a service provider operating in compliance with the HIPAA and HITECH Acts, Alpine Access is well positioned to continue applying the benefits of its virtual contact center model to the growing customer service demands of national healthcare organizations. According to reports from Frost & Sullivan, a business research and consulting firm, healthcare organizations are the biggest proponents of using home-based agents, with 52% indicating they would increase the use of home agents in the next two years. These work-from-home representatives handle a wide range of patient needs, from customer service and account inquiries, to over-the-phone triage and medication help lines.