15 Feb Managing Physical and Digital Patient Records: Your HIPAA Crash Course
From single-physician clinics to health centers and hospitals, HIPAA compliance is something that should be a focus throughout daily operations. Compliance will look different when scaling for the varying sizes and complexities of different healthcare offices, but there are some general guidelines to be aware of. HIPAA violations not only compromise private patient information, but can also incur huge fines for your practice.
Documents must be secured both in print and digitally.
It has taken time for laws to catch up with technology, but currently, both electronic and paper data records are subject to privacy and security rules under HIPAA. While individually, it is relatively simple to manage document security in each of these mediums—particularly with software designated to securing electronic health records—data can become compromised when transferring electronic records to paper formats. There are several solutions that can ensure better data hygiene in these situations, including password-protected printing, configuring printers to print face-down to prevent any unauthorized staff from viewing sensitive data, and bypassing hard copies in faxes with e-fax functionality.
Employees need proper training to keep up with modern technologies.
Proper software and printing solutions are readily available for your healthcare practice, but without proper employee training, they won’t be effective in maintaining compliance. In fact, the bulk of compliance errors come directly from staff members, and not from software vulnerabilities or insufficiencies in company policies. For example, printing patient documents without permission is an easy mistake for a new office member to make without proper training.
If you are looking for the copy, print, and scan solutions that can help keep your medical practice HIPAA compliant, Arizona Business Equipment can help. We provide convenient office equipment leasing options on a wide range of products, so you can utilize the latest technology without overextending your available resources. To discuss the printing and copier needs of your practice, call us today at (520) 888-2679.