Healthcare · Washington
An AI receptionist for HIPAA-covered practices in Washington
Washington’s recording law says it plainly: an announcement at the start of a call, recorded with it, counts as consent. Your virtual receptionist makes that announcement in its first sentence, every time, and handles patient details the way HIPAA asks.
Hear it answer — call our AI receptionist(450) 367-9990Washington rules that affect your phones
| Rule | What it says | How your receptionist handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Recording consent (RCW 9.73.030) | Every party must consent. Consent is obtained when a party announces, in a reasonably effective way, that the call is about to be recorded, and the announcement is recorded too. | Its first sentence is that announcement, and it’s part of the recording. |
| Civil damages (RCW 9.73.060) | Someone recorded unlawfully can sue for the greater of actual damages, $100 a day or $1,000, plus legal costs. | The announcement is on every call, so there’s no unannounced recording. |
| My Health My Data Act (RCW 19.373) | Consent rules and rights for consumer health data outside HIPAA, which people can sue over. Health information covered by HIPAA is exempt. | Patient calls to your practice fall under HIPAA and the BAA you accept in the portal. A wellness business outside HIPAA should check how the act applies to it. |
| Uniform Health Care Information Act (RCW 70.02) | Washington’s own rules for disclosing health care information and for patients’ access to it. | Records stay in the portal for your team for the retention period you choose, ready to download within it. |
General information, not legal advice. Your compliance advisor should confirm how these rules apply to your practice.
Med spas and wellness clinics: which law applies?
The My Health My Data Act is aimed at health data that HIPAA doesn’t cover, such as some med spas, wellness apps and fitness businesses.
If you’re a HIPAA covered entity, your patients’ calls are covered by HIPAA and your Business Associate Agreement with us. If your business isn’t covered by HIPAA but collects health details, the act asks for opt-in consent before you collect or share them, and gives people rights to see and delete their data.
Either way, your virtual receptionist can ask only for what each call needs: for a consultation booking, that’s usually a name, a number and the treatment they’re asking about.
Running a med spa?
See the AI receptionist for medical spas for consultations, treatment questions and bookings.
A refill request at lunch
- AI receptionistThanks for calling Example Family Practice. I’m the practice’s AI virtual receptionist. This call is recorded and transcribed so we can handle your request. How can I help?
- CallerI need a refill on my inhaler.
- AI receptionistI can send that to the care team. What’s your full name, date of birth and which pharmacy do you use?
- CallerDaniel Brooks, July 9, 1985. The pharmacy on Main Street.
- AI receptionistThank you, Daniel. The care team reviews refill requests within one business day. If this is an emergency, please hang up and call 911.
On every call in Washington
- Its first sentence says it’s an AI and that the call is recorded
- It asks only for what the call needs: name, date of birth, a callback number, the reason in a few words
- Clinical questions go to your team, never answered by the AI
- It’s set up to tell anyone describing an emergency to call 911
- Call emails only say a call came in; the details stay in the portal
- Recordings are kept 7, 14 or 30 days, as you choose; the transcript and summary follow the same schedule
- Call data is stored in the United States
- A BAA accepted in the portal before the agent handles health information, and our own with every company that handles patient information
What stays with your practice
An AI receptionist doesn’t move your duties to us. You still decide who on your team sees calls, train your staff, answer patients’ requests and decide what to keep: calls stay in the portal for the retention period you choose (7, 14 or 30 days), so download any call a law or your own policy requires you to keep longer. More on what a Business Associate Agreement covers.
Your receptionist isn’t an emergency service. Like any AI, it can mishear or misunderstand, so keep your own emergency arrangements.
What your missed calls are worth
Put in your own numbers.
Revenue those missed calls could be worth each month
$6,235
An estimate from the numbers above, not a guarantee. Amounts in US dollars. A month is counted as 4.33 weeks; cost is billed by the second. Starting values are example numbers chosen by 365vox for a medical practice; replace them with your own.
Illustrative example
A two-location family practice in Spokane
Both offices share one phone team. Refill and appointment calls pile up at lunch and after 4 p.m., and some patients drive in just to ask.
- The virtual receptionist answers lunch, evenings and every call the team can’t reach
- Appointments are booked at the right location by the practice’s rules
- Refill requests go to the care team with only the name, date of birth and pharmacy
- The recorded announcement opens every call
The numbers, worked out
- Calls answered that used to be missed
- 69 a month
- New patients at 30%
- 21
- First visits at $300 each
- $6,235
Illustrative example, not a 365vox customer result. Assumptions: 16 missed calls a week (4.33 weeks a month), 30% become new patients, $300 over their first visits, 2.5 minutes a call at $0.75. Change any of them in the calculator above.
Comparing virtual receptionist services?
Live answering services usually sell monthly plans of minutes or calls. 365vox is an AI virtual receptionist that answers forwarded calls on the first ring, day and night, follows your approved answers and costs $0.75 a minute, billed by the second, with no plan.
Keep exploring
Washington FAQs
Is Washington a two-party consent state?
Does the My Health My Data Act apply to medical practices?
What happens if a call is recorded without consent?
Can it take refill requests?
Does it give medical advice to Washington patients?
Where is call data for Washington practices stored?
What does it cost for a Washington practice?
How long does setup take for a Washington practice?
The announcement Washington asks for, on every call.
No credit card required. Cancel anytime.Just forward your phone line — we'll handle the rest.
Or hear it first — call our AI receptionist(450) 367-9990Not ready to start your free trial? Book a no-obligation discovery call.