Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008 - (Page 61)

IN THE OFFICE NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THE WORKPLACE: BLESSING OR CURSE? B Y J O N AT H A N M c C A L L I S T E R CELL PHONES AND INSTANT MESSAGING POSE SURPRISING THREATS TO YOUR PRACTICE’S SECURITY 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, 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. 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. 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. WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM WHAT ONCE WAS A LOWLY PHONE IS NOW A POCKET COMPUTER 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 private information, and that of your patients. 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. TECHNOLOGY GUIDE | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | 61 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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