Under the HIPAA rules, medical practices are permitted to leave patient voicemails, as long as you follow a few essential guidelines. But on top of the fact that you need to keep protected health information off of the voicemail, you also must be polite enough for patients to get a good impression, and the content of your voicemail should get across all of the information you’re trying to share.

Check out three tips that can help you leave high-quality, informative and HIPAA-compliant patient voicemails.

1. Share Just the Facts

The best way to ensure you don’t share too much information is to say as little as possible when leaving your message. In your patient voicemail, introduce yourself with your first and last name, company name and your contact information. This way, even if someone else hears the message, they won’t know why the patient is going to the doctor or any other details.

For example: Your patient voicemail message might say, “Hello, this is Susan Jones from Tri-Cities Medical Associates calling. If you could call me back at [phone number], I’d appreciate it. Thank you!”

2. Speak Clearly, Don’t Rush

Some people get very nervous about leaving voicemail messages for patients, which can make your message come out sounding difficult to understand. Instead of mumbling or racing through your message, speak directly into the phone, enunciate clearly, and talk slowly so they can write down your name and number.

3. Be Cautious if Someone Besides the Patient Returns the Call

If someone other than the patient hears the voicemail, they may call you back even though the message wasn’t intended for them. If this occurs, avoid giving the person any information about why you called, while still being polite.

For example: “I’m afraid I’m unable to share any information with you about the reason for my voicemail. Federal law requires me to only speak with the patient. Can you please ask them to get back to me at their earliest convenience?”

Always Check Consent Forms

When patients join your practice and complete your new patient information packet (including financial forms and HIPAA forms), you’ll typically also have them complete a consent form. On that, you should ask if you’re permitted to leave patient voicemails. Make sure you check their response to this question before you leave a voicemail so you don’t upset the patient.