Call now for cybersecurity help: 888-646-1616
Is Google Voice HIPAA compliant? This is a common question for healthcare providers and organizations exploring secure communication tools. In this article, we’ll dive into the compliance status of Google Voice, its applicability in healthcare settings, and whether its texting feature meets HIPAA requirements.
Download Now: Get our FREE Checklist on Gmail and Google Workspace HIPAA Compliance to ensure your organization stays secure and compliant. (Download Now)
For those unfamiliar, Google Voice is a versatile communication tool offering phone numbers that can route calls and messages across multiple devices. But is it suitable for healthcare and HIPAA-compliant communication? Let’s find out.
Is Your Google Voice HIPAA Compliant and Secure? Don’t Wait for a Breach, Start your cloud security journey with our comprehensive audit.. Our specialists are committed to helping your business stay safe and seamlessly achieve HIPAA compliance.
Google Voice is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service provided by Google. Once you’re signed up with a Google Voice number, you can make and receive calls on your personal device - but without using your personal number. It includes call forwarding, voicemail, and unlimited SMS messages.
Google Voice can be integrated with Google Meet (video calls/telehealth/teleconferencing) and Google Calendar to keep you organized. Google Voice can be added to any Google Workspace subscription.
Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite) is a paid service that includes Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, Meet, and more. If your email address ends in @gmail.com, you do not have Google Workspace. We recommend and use Google Workspace in our own business.
Check out our article on HIPAA-Compliant Gmail (The Perfect How-To Guide for 2024) to learn more about Google Workspace HIPAA compliance.
You can have a free @gmail.com account, or you can pay for a Google Workspace Gmail account.
Same with Google Voice. There is a free version and a paid version.
You need the paid version if you want to be HIPAA-compliant. And you can only get the paid version if you use Google Workspace.
Why do you need the paid version? Because Google will not provide a business associate agreement (BAA) with their free Gmail or free Voice subscriptions.
So, here’s what you need to do to make Google Voice HIPAA compliant :
How much does Google Voice cost? There are three tiers: Starter $10/user/mo, Standard $20/user/mo, and Premier $30/user/mo. We recommend the Standard subscriptions because it includes eDiscovery for calls and voicemails for records retention purposes.
It’s important to know that Google Workspace CAN be HIPAA compliant. It isn’t properly configured when you purchase the subscription. Signing the BAA with Google is the first step, but it’s not the only step. We can help with getting it properly configured.
What our clients say
But here’s a disclaimer that many private practice “influencers” miss: signing a BAA with Google does not make your Google Workspace HIPAA compliant.
Seriously – Google CLEARLY says
“Customers are responsible for … ensuring that they use Google services in compliance with HIPAA.”
“PHI is allowed only in a subset of Google services.”
“These Google-covered services … must be configured by IT administrators to help ensure that PHI is properly protected."
So yes, Google Workspace CAN be HIPAA compliant, but it’s not compliant right out of the box.
You need to make sure your account is secure.
A big advantage of using Google Voice is that you and your users don’t need dedicated devices for business purposes. Your users can answer work calls without being in the office. The Google Voice app can integrate with Google Calendar, allowing you to ‘turn on’ your work Voice number during work hours, but ‘turn it off’ afterward. Clients can leave voicemails instead.
The Standard and Premier subscriptions include multi-level auto attendant, which means your clients will hear a phone menu and then can choose which person they want to speak with.
Google Voice is great for Healthcare because it is affordable, calls are unlimited, integrates well with Google Workspace, employees can use their own devices (mobile or desktop), transcribes voicemail messages, and more. You can make the paid version of Google Voice HIPAA compliant IF you properly set up Google Workspace.
Texting is very popular. We hear from practices all the time that want to send or receive texts from their clients.
Google Voice includes SMS messaging, but this is not secure for PHI. There are some services that provide HIPAA-compliant texting, but they’re not very convenient. You and your patients must download the same app, which is how the service ensures you’re HIPAA compliant.
In practice, many of our small practice clients will tell their patients that it’s OK to text them but to NEVER discuss anything medical via text. They will only discuss scheduling or billing issues via text.
Feature Download: FREE checklist about Gmail and Google Workspace HIPAA Compliance (Download Now)
Google Voice is a great option for healthcare organizations. It can be used in a HIPAA-compliant manner. Remember, you must have Google Workspace to use Google Voice. The free versions of these programs can never be HIPAA compliant, since Google will only provide BAAs for paid subscriptions.
We help medical practices move to cloud services like Google Workspace. If you’re confused about how to make Google Workspace HIPAA compliant, grab our free guide!
What our clients say
I need to have a HIPPA compliant texting system and email set up for my business and I need more information
Hi Amber - we don't have recommendations for a HIPAA compliant texting platform. For HIPAA compliant email, we like Google Workspace! You can check out our e-book to learn how to properly set it up: https://adeliarisk.com/hipaa-playbook-for-google-workspace/