Have you noticed that every time you enter a doctors office they remind you about the privacy policy? Maybe you even need to sign a document stating that you understand the policy each time you visit. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), covered organizations such as dentists, and all medical offices must adopt written privacy policies, designate a privacy officer, and conduct training for employees on the privacy policies. HIPAA is complemented by state laws that, though similar to HIPAA, may offer more generous protections. Therefore there are several layers of protections to medical privacy that each office considers to be “in compliance”.
In order to remain HIPAA compliant, businesses in the medical field must not only train employees on the privacy requirements but also have an IT plan to keep all medical records, (digital and hard copies) protected as well. That is where a top notch IT department or IT consultant comes in handy. Companies like M&H understand the security requirements and procedures needed to keep medical offices protected and secure.
All protected health information (PHI) is considered confidential. PHI includes medical conditions, health status, claims experience, medical histories, physical examinations, genetic information, and evidence of disability. Many of these records are required to be stored as secured data for up to six years. This means that IT consultants must be able to install appropriate security protections such as firewalls and encryption access in order to stop external access attempts and scan and filter all outbound access.
Categorised in: IT Consulting Services