HIPPA-Aligned Data Practices at LogiChannel
There are very few industries that carry as much weight as that of the healthcare industry. The people who work in the healthcare industry usually make the type of decisions that can affect the outcomes of patients, as well as carry the burden of regulating and controlling the use of patient information through data as outlined by the government.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was established to protect the use of patient information from being used improperly. It governs what healthcare providers, insurance companies, their third-party vendor partners, etc., can do with privately held patient information and feedback when they access the data, while providing severe penalties for the improper handling of that data, both legally and in reputation.
Logichannel has built a healthcare data practice around all of this, as we do not work with any patient data directly or otherwise. We have always focused on providing the business intelligence required for our clients to find, understand, and connect with the professionals who purchase, procure, and implement healthcare products and services through publicly available, responsibly managed data that is completely separate from HIPAA’s rules for protecting patient data.
The intent of this approach for us has never been to cut corners but rather to establish a means for our clients to approach healthcare business development and be confident in their approach as they have always been.
What HIPAA Actually Covers and What It Doesn't
The U.S. law known as HIPAA protects PHI, or any data that identifies a patient and relates to that patient’s actual or future health care services, including all medical diagnoses and insurance claim information.
The professional contact details of healthcare organization employees are not regulated by HIPAA. For example, a hospital CFO’s work email, a health system’s procurement lead, or the buyer for a medical device company can all be reached through B2B marketing activity governed by generic marketing laws rather than by HIPAA.
The distinction between the two is important; it is the basis on which responsible health care marketer’s data is built upon.
How Logichannel Approaches Healthcare Data
Here is a summary of Logichannel’s guarantee not to utilize your health information:
- Logichannel explicitly states it does not collect, keep, sell, or manage patient health-related data, as all our information is intended for B2B usage (i.e., contains only contact info for professional decision makers within the healthcare industry).
Our database is made up entirely of records regarding professionals who act on behalf of their respective organizations (i.e., none of our data relates to an individual’s health status).
We create profiles of healthcare professionals based on roles, levels within the organization and authority to purchase, and do NOT create profiles based on health information.
- We source all of our data from publicly available/legitimate sources such as professional directories, publications, conference listings, regulatory filings and/or other established public domain records; we do NOT work with brokers that sell sensitive consumer data.
- Regularly updated data is essential because of the constant restructuring of healthcare organizations (e.g., mergers; change in leadership; system integration, etc.) there are times when a contact’s data will need to be verified and/or validated; outdated contact data poses potential liability with respect to healthcare regulation compliance.
Access to our datasets is limited to individuals who receive permission internally to access the data; we control the data access and maintain audit logs to ensure that we know who is using the data, for what purpose and when.
Who This Data Is Built For
Logichannel’s healthcare data is most valuable to companies selling into the healthcare industry at an organizational level, not to organizations involved in clinical care or patient-facing services.
- Healthcare SaaS and software companies looking to reach IT buyers, administrators, and C-suite decision-makers.
- Medical equipment and device suppliers targeting procurement leads and clinical department heads.
- Pharmaceutical and life sciences marketers focused on institutional accounts rather than individual prescribers
- Health-tech startups building their initial outbound pipeline in a regulated space
- Consulting and managed services firms targeting healthcare operations and strategy buyers
If your product serves healthcare organizations, not patients, this is the right place to start.
Who You Can Reach Through Logichannel
The database we use to track healthcare professionals will contain information on the decision-making roles that exist in healthcare today and who those people are, including businesses that evaluate vendor services, approve budget expenditures, and/or invest capital.
- Hospital and Health System Administration—executive management at hospitals and health systems who are responsible for the oversight of the organization, including but not limited to C-suite, vice president, and director-level individuals in operational areas such as finance and clinical administration.
- Healthcare Executive – chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, and chief medical officer of Network/Regional Health Systems, Integrated Delivery Systems (IDS), and Independent Hospitals.
- Medical Practice Leadership – CEO, group administrator, or practice manager of multi-specialty practices and large independent practices.
- Healthcare IT (or Information Systems) Professionals—CIO, IT Director, Electronic Health Record (EHR) Administrator, and/or technical evaluators that are involved with purchasing hardware and software for their organization.
How to Use This Data Responsibly
Having compliant data is one half of the picture; how you use it is equally as important. These guidelines separate the companies that build long-term credibility through outreach to healthcare professionals from those that burn their bridges early.
1. Communicate strictly from business-to-business (B2B)
When you reach out to a healthcare professional, make sure you’re addressing their role in the organization and primarily your connection as a company (not an individual) has to that individual. Do not refer to anything that could be construed as trying to target the professional for healthcare purposes in any way, directly or indirectly.
2.Be open, honest, and transparent about yourself and why you are reaching out.
Healthcare professionals receive a tremendous amount of outreach; thus, the very few that actually stick will have direct, relevant content and there will be no ambiguity about your intent. Any ambiguity regarding your identity or purpose will leave you open for legal action, as well as erode the relationship of trust in the future.
3.Honor opt-outs immediately
All laws and regulations governing outbound marketing (e.g., CAN-SPAM & CASL) require the honor out requests promptly. While this is legally true, in healthcare where reputation is everything, it is also simple professional courtesy.
4.Do not conflate B2B data with clinical outreach.
There is a significant difference between marketing to a hospital’s supply chain director – who has no clinical ordering influence and therefore is in a B2B relationship with your company – and trying to influence the clinical prescribing behavior of a physician who does have that influence. You must operate strictly within the former universe.
Why Companies Choose Logichannel for Healthcare Outreach
While we may be a data source with lots of different types of data, our primary area of focus is healthcare. Because of our commitment to building a source that is specific to the needs of the healthcare industry, the data we provide is based upon the actual structure of health systems, practices and healthcare organizations.
We have established our sourcing methodologies and processes in a transparent manner, continue to carry out regular validations of our data, and partner with our customers to ensure they fully understand how to best utilize the data that they purchase from us.
Additionally, we will share how our data will work for your campaigns and what it cannot do since the only successful relationship we can have is if we successfully assist you with the execution of compliant and efficient campaigns.
As you look to connect with healthcare decision makers at scale without compromising how you do so, we are well-positioned to support you in accomplishing that goal.