Collected healthcare data includes lots of sensitive material, from patients’ identification information to private health records. Along with maintaining the health and well-being of clients with treatment solutions, healthcare providers also look after their patients by protecting their private information. Preventing healthcare data breaches protects against identity theft, fraud, and data loss that can impair services and affect treatments. Discover different ways to prevent healthcare data breaches at your office and enhance the safety of your patients and business.
Implement Data and Hardware Encryption
Encryptions convert information into a specific code that only certain authorized accesses can decrypt. Anyone without the key or access permission to the encrypted data can view the information only in its coded form—a string of numbers and symbols.
Encrypting your healthcare data and hardware protects against the impermissible disclosure of sensitive information to sources outside your party. Encryptions generate barriers for hackers, forcing them to crack a hard and unique code, giving you and authorities plenty of time to notice the threat and react.
Set Up Firewall Protection
Firewalls are network security systems that monitor and restrict incoming and outgoing network traffic. These network barriers block unauthorized access to your networks and computer systems. Firewalls also notify your team of any suspicious activity on your computer systems, internet, and network.
Secure Device Storage
One of the easiest ways for outsiders to gain access to your office’s private healthcare data is by getting their hands on your devices. Your clinic’s computers, phones, and tablets store all kinds of important information and records. Enhancing storage security for your office’s devices protects them from theft and unauthorized access. Keep devices out of reach from anyone who’s not your staff with desk barriers, and lock devices in secured, concealed locations.
Monitor Device Access
Keep tabs on your devices during workday rushes and after hours. Close device monitoring ensures only those with authorized access interact with your devices, reducing risks of healthcare data breaches. Make sure someone is always at the desk with your computers and that you implement unique logons and user identification.
Regularly Train Staff on Best Practices
Healthcare data breaches affect your employees’ work conditions and your patients’ privacy safety. To reduce the likelihood of a breach, help your staff understand the severity of data breaches and teach them what habits maximize security, like logging off when leaving the computer and setting up two-factor authentication.
Regular OSHA and HIPAA compliance training for your employees informs your staff of data breach dangers and the knowledge of best practices to reduce risks. OSHA training educates you on the best and safest recordkeeping procedures that benefit your staff. HIPAA focuses on the security and handling of important health information. OSHA and HIPAA compliance training gives your team the knowledge and skills to enhance security and safety at your office.
With these five ways to prevent healthcare data breaches and training programs from Gamma Compliance, you can avoid fraud, identity theft, and other data breach risks at your office.