Do you ever get overwhelmed when shopping for everyday items? When you go to the grocery store for toothpaste, there are numerous different brands, flavors and sizes. Who knew brushing your teeth was so complicated?
Some product decisions, though, have more of a direct impact on your life or business. For those responsible for running a physician practice, selecting technology solutions that best fit the needs of their medical group — and the patients they serve — can make a marked difference in patient safety, retention and engagement.
Call management might not seem like such an important area of a healthcare practice, but the way it is handled typically affects patient satisfaction, which in turn has ramifications on a provider’s revenue and reputation. The same goes for how providers manage protected health information (PHI) because, under HIPAA, they are responsible for creating, receiving and transmitting it.
An increasing number of medical practices are choosing voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone systems, which utilize the same broadband you rely on for your Wi-Fi access, bypassing the phone company and creating the ability to access many more benefits and features. With VoIP, you can use desk phones, existing mobile phones, web phones or even all three because the system relies on the cloud rather than on-site hardware that must be regularly maintained and upgraded.
Google Voice HIPAA compliance is a critical consideration for healthcare providers looking at this popular VoIP service. Additionally, Google Voice is a prominent VoIP phone service, primarily because the brand name is known globally. The service provides users with a phone number for calls, texts and voicemails and is available on multiple types of devices, including smartphones, tablets and desktops.
Is Google Voice the best choice for those who run a healthcare practice, whether you’re a physician, administrator or IT manager? We’ll outline the pros and cons of this VoIP offering and let you make the decision yourself.
Pros of Google Voice
Along with being part of a global brand, Google Voice offers its users many benefits, such as the ability to listen to voicemails in real time, automatic transcription of voicemails into text and some SMS messaging capabilities. Other advantages consist of:
Key Features
Some of Google Voice’s most popular features are auto attendant and ring groups. The auto attendant answers incoming calls and directs the caller to the appropriate extension, where the caller can leave a message. The unlimited ring groups enable administrators to link multiple users or numbers and assign various employees or team members to each group.
Other features of Google Voice are call forwarding and recording, voicemail management, unlimited calls and Google Fi compatibility. Note that these features vary by plan.
Integration With Google Workspace
Google Workspace consists of a wide array of tools, and Google Voice integrates with all of them. The tools include Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides.
There is a slight catch — you must sign up for Google Workspace to use Google Voice. Pricing for Google Workspace ranges from $6 to $18 for most plans, but Enterprise plans necessary for larger businesses vary in cost.
Cost Efficiency
Google Voice provides tiered pricing options tailored to different business needs. For example, the Starter plan, at $10 per user per month, suits small businesses while the Standard plan, priced at $20 per user per month, serves organizations requiring additional features. Each plan builds upon the previous one, offering features like unlimited users, multi-level auto attendants and automatic call recording.
Porting Capability
Keeping your existing phone number — along with those of all your contacts — is possible through a process referred to as porting. Phone number porting can be done between wireline, IP and wireless providers — as long as you stay in the same geographic area.
Porting is available with Google Voice, although you can’t move your number between different Google Workspace accounts. The charge for porting in a number through Google Voice is $20, and porting it out costs $3. Note that RingRx does not charge for porting.
Cons of Google Voice
Very few products match the needs of every business across multiple industries, and the same is true for Google Voice. From a lack of message templates and toll-free numbers to the inability to share videos or PDFs via MMS messaging, this VoIP option has its share of disadvantages. Plus, you cannot get a free trial of it.
No Healthcare-Specific Features
Healthcare is a business, but its customers require a different level of support than most businesses. Not only is Google Voice not designed for healthcare providers, but it’s not customizable to make it so.
Effective communication is essential for healthcare providers, which is why features such as Google Voice’s HIPAA compliance, call routing, on-call capabilities, virtual receptionists and outreach profiles should be considered. You need a HIPAA-compliant VoIP phone system that enhances patient care and increases practice efficiency while offering customization options to make it work best for you.
Lack of Security
HIPAA requires that healthcare providers keep patient data secure or risk costly fines and penalties. Google Voice collects, stores and shares PHI, risking exposure of sensitive healthcare data and potentially leading to a breach.
Healthcare providers utilizing Google Voice for their communication needs should assign licenses to PHI users and sign a business associate agreement (BAA) with the company. When used within Google Meet, users of Google Voice should set calendar entries that contain PHI to private.
Limited Customer Service
If you want to be able to reach a customer support team 24/7, then Google Voice is not your best option. The product does not include live technical support, nor does it offer demos. You’re stuck with only the company’s self-documentation or technical forums for troubleshooting.
No Multi-User Capabilities
You know that it takes more than a doctor to run a successful healthcare practice. Google Voice does not allow multiple users to have their own accounts and share the same number, and employee permissions are also a no-go.
You can link multiple devices to your Google Voice account, but only one user can actively handle calls simultaneously. When callers sit on hold for long periods of time, patient satisfaction substantially decreases. Allowing multiple users ensures that your patients can easily reach the right provider to handle their requests and route calls based on staff responsibilities.
Lack of Third-Party Integration
Although it integrates well with its Google tool counterparts, Google Voice does not support third-party integrations. You can’t even use a vanity number with the system. This lack of customization and scalability is certainly a hindrance for healthcare providers who need a solution that grows with their practice. RingRx’s powerful API lets customers enhance their existing EHR, billing, marketing and analytics platforms.
Restricted Multi-Recipient Text Messaging
More than 95 percent of patients prefer texting for healthcare communication, so secure messaging is valuable to a practice’s outreach. Google Voice only allows traditional two-way texting — not automated messages you can schedule beforehand. RingRx offers secure, HIPAA-compliant messaging as a key feature.
Rely on RingRx for Secure and Healthcare-Specific Communication
The HIPAA-compliant RingRx VoIP enterprise phone system was designed specifically for healthcare environments. We offer an affordable option for streamlining communication with your patients and team from your desk phone, app, or the web.
Explore RingRx’s HIPAA-compliant solutions. Request a free trial today!
