In a recent article published by DiagnosticImaging.com, an online community for radiology specialists, a doctor and practice owner asked her colleagues whether switching from a PBX system of six telephone lines would be a good business decision.

The doctor explained that one telephone line was a dedicated fax connection for the electronic health records system, which needs to be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a line for the credit card reader, another for the alarm system, and three for voice communications. The doctor was concerned about the cost of the initial investment and the potential purchase of new desk phones.

The Necessity of VoIP Networks in the High Desert for Medical Offices

Physicians, dentists and other healthcare professionals in Victorville and Apple Valley will probably have some of the same concerns as the aforementioned radiologist. The good news is that they do not need to worry: VoIP systems are great solutions for medical and dental offices; in fact, many large clinics and hospitals across California installed VoIP solutions years ago and have not looked back.

As for the EHR fax line and HIPAA compliance, VoIP systems can be configured so that one line behaves like an analog fax machine and transmissions can be encrypted. The phone hardware concern can be handled by means of VoIP adapters so that existing desk phones can still be used; alternatively, softphones can be installed on existing desktops and laptops. Finally, the merchant processor can easily provide a modern reader that does not use communicate via legacy phone lines.