Physicians Practice - January 2008 - (Page 57)

THE TECH DOCTOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THE WORKPLACE: BLESSING OR CURSE? CELL PHONES AND INSTANT MESSAGING POSE SUPRISING THREATS TO YOUR PRACTICE’S SECURITY B Y J O N AT H A N M c C A L L I S T E R Imagine this common scenario: One of your group’s physicians walks into a busy coffee shop in a public area of the local hospital before making rounds. At the checkout, the physician digs into every pocket of his lab coat in search of his wallet, laying prescription pads, pocket references, A few years ago, the lost cell phone scenario would have been nothing more than a minor annoyance, resulting in a few frustrating hours at the local cell phone shop to buy a replacement phone, the owner out nothing more than a few frequently dialed phone numbers, his pride, and some cash. New capabilities mean you need to do a reality check on the security of your and your patients’ private information. NEW VULNERABILITIES and his cell phone on the counter. Once he ﬁnally locates his wallet and walks away, he realizes he’s left his cell phone behind. He quickly returns, only to learn that his phone is long gone. At that moment back in your ofﬁce, your front-desk staffer is using her PC to quickly cut and paste text messages to that very same missing cell phone. Those messages contain a list of patients the physician is to round on, his list of in-ofﬁce patients scheduled for his afternoon clinic (including the patients’ dates of birth and Social Security numbers, as the staffer just cut and pasted the list from her scheduling screen), and a message that the physician’s broker called and is waiting to hear from him. On the same PC, the staffer is also using instant messaging, or IM, to chat with her best friend across town. WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM What used to be a simple device for making and receiving phone calls on the go is transforming into a pocket computer that also happens to make phone calls. Physicians at practices large and small are beginning to utilize the advanced features of these tools. They are on an evolving path, using their cell phones in new ways that can make both their own and their ofﬁce staff’s lives easier. While the instant flow of information made possible by sophisticated cell phones can lead to high-risk scenarios like the one described above, you can minimize such risks by keeping and enforcing a few fundamental rules: • Always enable your cell phone’s “auto-l o c k i n g ” f e a t u r e . Nearly Today, a lost cell phone and your staff’s personal use of instant messaging could have much greater ramiﬁcations for everyone involved — including your patients. WHAT ONCE WAS A LOWLY PHONE IS NOW A POCKET COMPUTER all cell phones have a function that when activated requires users to enter a PIN to “unlock” the phone for use. Enable this feature and your cell phone is nothing but a paperweight to anyone other than yourself. • Report a missing cell phone immediately. The newest generation of cell phones can often synchronize data to and from your PC, connect to corporate e-mail mailboxes, carry robust documents and spreadsheets, store more data than four blank CDs, and, of course, support text messaging. These features can be a godsend to a busy, tech-savvy physician, enabling her to check e-mail, carry hospital rounding lists, store electronic medical reference materials, and receive and send text messages all in one small device. But these new capabilities also mean that you need to do a reality check on the security of your and your patients’ private information. If your cell phone is lost or stolen, call your cell phone carrier and have it disabled. If the phone turns up, you simply have to call back to have it reactivated. While this may not protect the data already stored on the phone, it will prevent unauthorized users from making calls and text messaging. • Do not text message unique patient information such as dates of birth or Social Security numbers. A physician’s rounding list can simply consist of last names and room numbers. Omit any patient-speciﬁc data that is not absolutely critical. JANUARY 2008 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | 57 http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - January 2008

Physicians Practice - January 2008 Contents The Bigger Picture: Fixing Medicaid Letters Physicians Practice Pearls: You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks Noteworthy Cover Story: Fee Schedule Survey: 2007 Results Adding Ancillaries: Bucking the Practice Ask the Experts Idealab: 'How I Got Over My EMR Excuses' Technology: Don't Be Denied The Tech Doctor: Blessing or Curse? The Administrator's Desk: Learning From the Best Coding Career: To Partner, or Not? Management: Controlling Your Inventory Human Resources: How to Fire an Enployee Finance: Beyond Reimbursment - How to Fix Your Mix Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - January 2008

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