Every healthcare facility out there needs to know how #HIPAAMatters. The reality is that there is a significant amount of detail that goes into an OCR HIPAA audit and if you’re a healthcare professional, you need to know how to be prepared.
Below are some tips to ensure you are HIPAA compliant.
- Protect Against Ransomware. One of the biggest problems that you may be faced with is that of ransomware. It differs from other malware in that it can deny access to user data. This means that only the hacker would be able to access the data until a ransom is paid. There may also be a version that will destroy the data. Essentially, ransomware will exploit the human and technical weaknesses of IT infrastructure to wreak havoc on a system. Knowing that #HIPAAMatters can make a big difference. You want to be sure to implement a security management process as well as procedures that will guard against and detect malicious software programs.
- Maintain Frequent Backups. You never want to find out that you have been denied access to data. You also don’t want to have any kind of data crash where you can no longer access to patient data. If you maintain frequent backups, you will always have access to the most recent data. Automating this process will ensure that you are never a victim of forgetting to conduct a backup as well. The backups should be maintained off-line, and completely unavailable from all of your networks.
- Obtain the Needed IT Consulting. It is important to avoid a HIPAA breach all costs, and this means that you will want to obtain IT consulting from time to time. The first is to identify any security problems and establish solutions that will provide a higher level of security management and put various processes into place. The second is to determine if there are current issues, such as ransom were, in order to determine the origin of the incident what networks and systems have been affected, and ensure that vulnerabilities are shut down.
- Take Advantage of 24/7 Monitoring. You never know when you are going to be hacked, and therefore you need to be ready for anything and everything. Rather than waiting until the very next business day to learn that there has been an issue, you can take advantage of 24/7 monitoring. This will allow you to get a HIPAA compliant healthcare IT solution that ensures your system is always being monitored. This way, if there is an issue, help desk technicians can rectify the problem before it gets out of control.
- Explore Comprehensive Solutions. You want the very best for your healthcare facility, and this means that you may want to explore voice over IP phone solutions, business continuity, secure email and fax, virtualization, disaster recovery planning, structured cabling, and much more. This will help you to have the secure infrastructure and not have to worry about any holes within your system. There is a significant amount of innovation in today’s IT world, and working with a company that understands the privacy rule, the security role, and the enforcement role will ensure that you are meeting all of the regulatory standards and regulations.
If there is ever a Phase 2 HIPAA audit, you won’t have to worry about it. You can sit back and let the audit take place, knowing that you are in full compliance with everything. Having to worry about what is going on with your patient records and other PII is not something that is going to help you or your practice. IT solutions can be easier to implement than you think.
SecureNetMD® offers a comprehensive suite of HIPAA complaint technology services, including: VoIP telephony, secure email and fax, disaster recovery planning, 24/7 service desk support, structured cabling, virtualization, network engineering, IT consultancy, and more. As an industry leader, specializing in HIPAA complaint technologies for the healthcare industry, SecureNetMD® can help ensure healthcare facilities give their patients the privacy benefits they deserve.
