Patient records are confidential which means whenever a medical facility is printing they have to take extra care to protect their data. HIPAA compliance can be kept up with by following these four tips.
1. Locked Paper Trays
The accessibility of printers in hospitals and medical institutions is necessary to receive required paperwork. The downside of this convenience is that it compromises patient confidentiality. To combat this problem healthcare environments can implement locked paper trays. This straightforward term means that the paper tray will release when an authorized user is present. This simple step will keep you compliant with HIPAA.
2. Secure Print Software
When printing prescriptions who is there to intercept it? If you don’t know the answer, then you need to secure your print software. Printing should only happen after verification. Verification can be swiping a badge or entering a passcode. An authorization step should be required for any printing that involves patient information.
3. Hard Drive Security
Printers are like computers and have hard drives. These hard drives receive and store information, including confidential client data. To protect your printer hard drive, there are three things you can do: Encrypt the hard drive Scrub and erase when replacing a printer Destroy or safeguard old hard drives
4. Tracking and Managing Devices
Medical facilities have a lot of printers on site, so it is essential to keep a record of them. If someone performs maintenance or replaces a part, there should be a note. This holds all staff and service people accountable for what information does and does not end up in the wrong hands.
These four tips will ascertain that you are following HIPAA guidelines. If you have more questions, we are happy to help answer them. Please contact us today!