Privacy and Security of Patient Data
Wednesday, 10. September 2008
There has recently been a spate of items in the news about breaches in the privacy of patient information. It seems that electronic records, while transforming the accessibility (not to mention legibility) of patient information, have also presented a new set of security headaches for practices and hospitals alike. It’s therefore essential for those health professionals considering automation or upgrading an old system to shop around for HIPAA-compliant practice management software that has advanced security measures, not only to protect patients from the mishandling of their identity and personal information, but also to protect physicians or their practices from litigation.
Tools to look out for include user-defined permissions, which allow administrators to give users different levels of access to data, and audit trails, which produce a permanent record of which authorized users accessed a patient’s chart at what time. Additionally, some application service provider (ASP) models feature better protection from hackers than others – those that are Internet-based (as opposed to Web-based) create a private platform between you and your data rather than channeling it through the very public forum of the World Wide Web.
Technology can be misused and abused, but it can also be implemented as an effective tool to safeguard information privacy. Making sure your medical management system is secure will help prevent future lawsuits against you or your practice.
