A virtual phone system called Grasshopper makes it simple for business owners and entrepreneurs to handle incoming calls. It has options including call forwarding, transcription of voicemail, and personalized greetings. You might be curious in Grasshopper’s cost, ownership, encryption, and adherence to HIPAA rules if you’re thinking about using it for your company. We will address some of the most frequently asked questions concerning Grasshopper in this article. Does Grasshopper Bill by the Minute? The amount of phone numbers and extensions you require determines which of Grasshopper’s several price plans you’ll need. Plans start at $26 per month for a single number and three extensions and go up to $80 per month for five numbers and unlimited extensions. You won’t pay any extra money if you receive an unlimited number of incoming calls because none of these plans charge by the minute. However, depending on the location and the plan you select, you may be charged per minute while making outbound calls using Grasshopper. For domestic calls, Grasshopper’s outbound calling charges begin at 6 cents per minute, while costs for international calls start at 16 cents per minute. Is Google the owner of Grasshopper? No, Google does not own Grasshopper. Siamak Taghaddos and David Hauser, two businessmen, launched it in 2003 with the goal of developing a straightforward and reasonably priced phone system for small enterprises. In 2018, LogMeIn, a cloud-based remote connectivity services firm that also owns other brands including GoToMeeting and LastPass, bought Grasshopper. However, neither Google nor any of its companies are related to LogMeIn.
How long does it take Grasshopper to finish? Even for non-technical individuals, setting up and using Grasshopper is made simple. The setup procedure can be completed entirely online and normally takes less than 10 minutes. The steps are as follows:
1. Pick a phone number from Grasshopper’s database or enter your current one. 2. Create an account and choose a pricing strategy. Customize your voicemail settings, call forwarding policies, and greetings. 4. To make and receive calls while on the go, download the Grasshopper app for your smartphone or computer.
Grasshopper is encrypted, right? Yes, Grasshopper employs encryption to prevent unauthorized access to your calls and texts. Your data is protected in transit thanks to the use of industry-standard encryption technologies like Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) and Transport Layer Security (TLS). Additionally, Grasshopper has a thorough security program that regularly conducts security testing, vulnerability assessments, and compliance with industry norms like SOC 2 and PCI DSS.
Does Texting a Patient Violate HIPAA?
Texting a patient may violate HIPAA if protected health information (PHI) is sent without the necessary security measures. PHI is any data that can be used to identify a patient, such as their name, date of birth, health status, or course of treatment. In order to text patients, your texting platform must be HIPAA-compliant, which implies that it complies with the following standards:
1. Encryption: Your texting platform must employ encryption to safeguard the privacy of PHI both in transit and at rest. 2. Authorization: Patients must give you their express permission to SMS them and must always have the choice to unsubscribe. 3. Access controls: Your messaging platform must have sufficient access controls to stop employees or outside vendors from accessing PHI without authorization. The date, time, and content of each text message sent and received must be recorded in an audit trail that is kept by your texting platform.
If you need to text patients, you should think about adopting a specific HIPAA-compliant messaging platform like OhMD or TigerConnect as Grasshopper does not provide a HIPAA-compliant texting platform.
In conclusion, Grasshopper is a virtual phone system that can assist small businesses in managing their incoming calls. It is inexpensive and user-friendly. While outgoing calls are charged at a rate per minute, incoming calls are not. It is a LogMeIn subsidiary rather than being owned by Google. Your calls and messages are protected using encryption, and the setup process takes less than ten minutes. Use a messaging platform that complies with HIPAA regulations rather than Grasshopper if you need to SMS patients.
Calls made on a cell phone may be intercepted or accessed by unauthorized individuals, so they are not necessarily HIPAA compliant. However, there are methods to guarantee HIPAA compliance when utilizing a cell phone, such as the use of secure messaging applications or encrypted phone lines. To make sure that your communication strategies adhere to HIPAA rules, it is crucial to speak with a HIPAA compliance expert.