Healthcare Blogmatica

Identity Theft Protection for Healthcare Companies – Expert Advice

By: Brian Lapidus, Senior Vice President of Kroll Fraud Solutions, www.krollfraudsolutions.com
Guest Blogger on Healthcare Blogmatica

The fact of the matter is that patients – and the law – demand that healthcare companies protect highly sensitive information from every possible threat. But in-house security options just can't keep pace with rapidly growing risks. After all, anti-virus software won't stop someone from taking medical records. A firewall can't help retrieve a stolen laptop.  Below, I answer several questions that every healthcare organization should know.

Q: Why are healthcare organizations particularly vulnerable to data breaches?

A: There are several factors that make healthcare organizations particularly vulnerable to data breaches. Some of these factors include:

Sensitivity of data - The   healthcare industry is responsible for maintaining its patients' most   sensitive Personal Health Information. PHI is a treasure-trove for identity   thieves.

 

Immense Data flow (masses of data flowing   in and out) - A primary reason healthcare data security breaches   occur is because facilities do not know where all instances of their patients'   sensitive or confidential information resides within the network. Moreover,   the danger does not stop at the hospital perimeter, but includes vendors that   share or receive the data, as well as employees' and contractors' laptop   computers and other portable storage devices.

Portability/Usage of EPHI (Electronic   Protected Health Information) storage devices - Improvements in   technology and the portability of patient data come at a cost to security. Devices used to store and access PHI include laptops; home-based personal   computers; Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Smart Phones; USB Flash   Drives and Memory Cards; floppy disks; CDs; DVDs; backup media; Email; Smart   cards; and Remote Access; not to mention hotel, library or other public   workstations and Wireless Access Points (WAPs).

WorldVistA, VistA-Office EHR, and MUMPS: Get “Back-to-the-Future”

There’s been numerous discussions about the health information system in use by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) and how widespread adoption of such a system can improve our health care delivery system as it has for the VAⁱ. In this article, I'll expand on these highly subjective debates by providing a comprehensive, high-level overview of VistA and its variants, such as HealtheVet, Vista-Office EHR and WorldVistA, and its pros and cons as it relates to small and mid-sized physician practices.

Physician, Upgrade Thyself

This is a very interesting article that I came across on the NY Times called Physician, Upgrade Thyself, which was coincidentally mentioned in our South Florida HIMSS meeting.

Below is the main figure of this article:

Among other things, it goes on to say "Health care providers have been dreaming about electronic records for so long that the idea has begun to seem like vaporware, a never-to-be-realized fantasy similar to flying cars and jetpacks."

It also discuss WorldVistA, a system modeled after the famous VistA Veterans health system that has been one of the best examples on how the proper application of technology can streamline health care operations.

You can read more about the article Physician, Upgrade Thyself on the NY Times website.

Marlon Williams
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President and CEO
www.firstaidsoftware.com

South Florida Health Information Systems Society (HIMSS) Meeting

Last week, I attended the South Florida HIMSS Quarterly Meeting. The topic at hand was: Physician and Ambulatory Electronic Medical Record Adoption. Attendees included Tad Fisher, CEO of Florida Academy of Family Physicians; South Florida's legal elite Health Law Attorney Sandra P. Greenblatt; and the Director of Technology for Florida's Department of Health. Sandra Greenblatt did a great job in covering the legal aspects of electronic medical records, Stark anti-kickback laws, Safe Harbor rules, and vendor contract negotiation. This meeting was very informative for its physician audience, explaining the benefits and advantages, as well as obstacles and roadblocks to a regional implementation of electronic medical records.

National Provider Identifiers - Are You Prepared?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, has changed the way our health care system addresses security, transactions, and privacy in several ways. From creating a means to communicate between various systems in a consistent manner ("standardization") to addressing the proper use of protected health information ("PHI"), the introduction of HIPAA alone has already transformed certain aspects of our health system for the better. For more detailed information on HIPAA, feel free to read one of my articles on the standard. In this article, the main focus will be on HIPAA's latest inclusion to its list of standards: the National Provider Identifier, or NPI.

Electronic Medical Records: What It Means To You

There are literally thousands of articles, case studies, and white papers on Electronic Medical Records, or better known as EMRs. I'm sure if you Google "electronic medical records" you'll find numerous documents defining the purpose and potential of EMRs. I think we are past the point where you and your staff are questioning what an EMR is and are more focused on figuring out what it means to your patients, your operations, and your bottom line. After all, aren't these three what practicing is all about? In this article, I'll explain what an EMR means to you - the physician, office manager, practice administrator, or clinical information manager - and your practice.

Streamline Your Front Office Operations, Part III

Welcome to the third and final article in my three part series on streamlining your front office operations. Part I of the series provided a high level overview of options that are available for automating your practice while Part II discussed how Web-based technologies can be used to streamline the patient check-in process.

In this article, I'll share the new channel for increasing communication in doctor-patient relationships, or better yet, patient-clinic relationships - electronic mail, or email, technologies.

Streamline Your Front Office Operations, Part II

In Part I of this series, I provided an overview of a patient's initial interaction with their doctor's office and what steps can be taken to effectively manage this process. In Part II, I'll discuss how Web-based technologies can be utilized to further increase the effectiveness of patient encounters to help your practice stand out amongst the rest.

The pervasiveness of the Internet has affected our daily lives more than we know it. From the basics of communicating with family and friends in other states or other countries, to the everyday tasks we perform at work, the Web has certainly replaced the vast majority of communication channels of the past. In addition, the technology that exists today has become so advanced that it now capitalizes on the pervasiveness of the Internet to deliver a multitude of services directly to consumers in the comfort of their homes. From reading daily news updates, paying bills, and streaming live audio and video to creating personal Web pages, blogs, and joining global social networks, the Web provides an unprecedented advantage to organizations that capitalizes on its popularity and ease of reaching consumers.

Streamline Your Front Office Operations, Part I

Physician front office operations are the forefront to doctor-patient relationships. As the old adage goes, "your first impression is your last" - as a result, focusing on making a great first impression of your practice should be on your list of high-priority to-do's. Your practice's marketing efforts needs to be backed up with a solid front office strategy that is efficient, friendly, and patient-centric.

In this series, I'll start by discussing each process of an initial patient visit and offer several tips on how to effectively manage your front office to make a lasting impression.

Why I Started This Blog

Interesting question...Let's see. I'll start by providing a brief background on the current state of affairs in health care.

Bringing our health care system up to par with technology proven to streamline other industries like finance, has been the primary focus for hundreds, if not thousands, of entities, both person and non-person alike. As a result, everyone has developed their own ideas as to what constitutes a smoothly operating health care system, but generally agrees that technology will be the main catalyst to such a system. This new focus on streamlining health care has opened up numerous opportunities for constituents of this industry, including patients, physicians, hospitals, payers, vendors, and others.