Kayako logo Utilizing customer service software can be beneficial for many organizations, including those in healthcare. However, covered entities need to know if the products they use violate HIPAA.  Let’s look at Kayako for HIPAA compliance.

About Kayako

Kayako is a customer service software company founded in 2001 and headquartered in London. The company describes itself as “an investment in your customer experience to build a competitive advantage: effortless, delightful customer service.”  Kayako features include live chat, help desk, a self-service portal, and a shared customer service inbox.

 

Kayako and business associate agreements

A covered entity and a business associate must sign a business associate agreement (BAA) to comply with HIPAA.  We did not find any information about BAAs on Kayako’s website.

 

Kayako and protected health information

Safeguarding protected health information (PHI) is an essential part of staying HIPAA compliant. Any type of information used during patient care that can identify a patient is considered PHI.  There is no reference to PHI on Kayako’s website.  However, according to the company’s privacy policy , Kayako collects personal information from its users and allows data access to third-parties. Personal information can include physical and email addresses, login credentials, IP addresses, transactional data, and other identifying information.  Kayako does state that it will delete any personal data upon request unless that information is “as part of the provision of products and services to you.”

 

Conclusion

We found no information about Kayako’s willingness to execute a BAA. As such, Kayako is not HIPAA compliant. As stated above, Kayako collects personal information about its users, and those who choose to use this service need to be aware of the information shared on and with Kayako.

 

Painless communication with HIPAA compliant email

If you’re a healthcare provider or professional looking to add a simple, easy-to-use communication tool to your organization, a HIPAA compliant email solution, like Paubox Email Suite , is an obvious choice.  Paubox Email Suite encrypts all outbound emails by default. Our solution requires no change to your email behavior because it integrates directly with your existing email platform (such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace ). Leave patient email portals and passwords in the past with Paubox Email Suite. All emails are delivered directly to your patient’s inbox, hassle-free.
 
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