Up to this point, most private practice physicians treat HIPAA compliance as…”something we’ll get to.” Most docs think their practice is compliant…they are wrong. I’ve mentioned before the threat of lawsuits and now this article. If this quote doesn’t send chills up your spine, then I don’t know what will: ““The privacy data breach area [...]
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Most of the time when I read a story on a stolen laptop, it is just the singular topic – Hey genius, if you encrypted your laptop this wouldn’t be an issue. The latest story I’ve come across pulls pieces in from multiple issues that a medical practice needs to consider. Though the incident revolves [...]
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As I’ve preached before, if you are going to store PHI on a mobile device (laptop, external hard drive, etc), you better make sure that you encrypt the hard drive. Typically, I am less concerned about desktop PC’s and servers as, you should have proper physical security systems in place. The recent Sutter Medical Foundation [...]
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Take a look at a list of PHI breaches and there are a few items that stand out: Many are at the hands of a contractor Most are portable storage device losses or theft (this includes tapes, laptops, etc) Lots are at big government entities One of the goals of HIPAA regulations is to give [...]
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Laptop. Lost? Stolen? Does it matter? No. Hurley Medical Center in Flint Michigan can’t find a laptop that had upwards of 2,000 patients on it. “The medical center has a policy that laptops must be password protected and have a tracking device…” Quick reminder – password protection doesn’t mean squat. You must encrypt! I am [...]
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