Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008 - (Page 10)

SECURITY In 2006, the nonproﬁt Privacy Rights Clearinghouse’s analysis of data breaches found that of those reported by medical organizations, 40 percent were attributable to laptop thefts, 20 percent to “insider malfeasance,” 20 percent to “human/software incompetence,” 17 percent to nonlaptop computer theft, and 3 percent to outside hackers. A study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth conducted in 2004 estimated that in the U.S. alone, a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds. Gartner, Inc., a worldwide IT research and advisory company, says its research reveals that 80 percent of computer crime consists of “inside jobs” by “disgruntled employees.” In February, a laptop containing the names, Social Security numbers, and personal health information of 4,800 patients was stolen from the relatively small University Health Care in Salt Lake City. Reports of stolen or lost patient data abound among practices large and small. Do you or your staff take home laptops to catch up on patient paperwork outside of clinic hours? Do you ensure that your staff members are able to gain access only to the patient information they need to do their jobs? Do you know where your patient information resides digital security. “So assume all your patients’ records are on that device. Do you really want to have a press conference?” Even if, like Compass Health, you take all appropriate steps to protect your patients in the wake of a computer theft, bad press can severely damage your credibility with current and future patients. GONE IN A FLASH In the U.S. alone, a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds. IN SUMMARY Identity theft is fast becoming America’s No. 1 crime. Physician ofﬁces that maintain large databases populated with patients’ personally identiﬁable information are responsible for keeping that data secure. How can you best cover your bases? •Don’t revert back to paper ﬁles. They are just as vulnerable — or more — to theft or loss. •Invest in affordable theft-detection services that may be able to retrieve lost or stolen patient data. •If you electronically transmit patient data to a third party, such as a claims processing ﬁrm, do your best to ensure that transmission is encrypted on both ends. •Physically secure all of your ofﬁce’s hardware when closing your clinic at the end of each day. •If applicable, learn about the security measures your landlord provides your ofﬁce building. •Consider purchasing new hardware that goes beyond password protection. within your network, PCs, portable devices, and backup storage? And how secure is your practice’s ofﬁce building when you’re not in it? Very few practices can conﬁdently answer all of these questions. And the consequences of such ignorance can be devastating. Take the case of Compass Health, a small mental-healthcare provider in Washington, which in June 2006 reported a laptop theft to authorities. The computer contained patients’ Social Security numbers and clinical and demographic data. The practice sent letters to all potentially affected patients with information about the steps they should take as a result of the theft. And it distributed a state wide media advisory in an effort to notify other individuals for whom it did not have current contact information. And then, of course, came the calls from local and national media outlets. All this over a single stolen laptop. “The nature of the beast here is that the devices go missing,” says Stephen Sprague, CEO of Wave Systems, a provider of client and server software for hardware-based IS PAPERLESS DANGEROUS? So should you just toss out your electronic equipment and go back to paper ﬁles? You probably know the answer to that. Whether you own an EMR or not, your practice cannot operate without computers running the software that is vital to its everyday operations. So tossing your PCs out the window isn’t an option. Besides, paper is just as, or more, vulnerable to theft as is electronic equipment. “Paper is an insecure form for storing patient data, which is at best locked behind doors or within ﬁle drawers,” says Stephen Moulton, director of product development for Innovative Card Scanning, a developer of scanning devices and software for hospitals and practices. “Paper can be copied, stolen, taken without you even knowing it, as well as lost or misplaced, which could give you the feeling that it was stolen if it is out of your control or possession.” Thomas Weida, medical director of the University Physician Group at Fishburn Road in Hershey, Pa., says WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM 10 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | TECHNOLOGY GUIDE http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

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

Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008 TG Cover Story: Protect Your Practice and Sleep Better Operations: Paperless? Not Quite The Internet: You've Got Mail...Or Do You? Patient Relations: Attention Grabbers The Tech Doctor: All About Blogs Lessons Learned: 'My EMR Nightmare...And Why I'd Do It Again' Scheduling: No More No-Shows The Marketplace: Who's Got Your Back IT Enhancement: Time, at Last, for an Upgrade? Online: 'Yup, I'm a Junkie. And Proud of It.' In the Office: New Technologies in the Workplace: Blessing or Curse? Web Surfing: If You Build It...

Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008

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