Physicians who fail to protect patient privacy face serious consequences. Security breaches bring bad press, and related fines range from $100 - $50,000 for each violation.
Office equipment has been transformed in recent decades. Today, state-of-the-art technology is available at affordable prices, and many physicians are taking advantage of the convenience and efficiency of digital copiers, scanners, and printers.
However, the new technology is not without risk. Digital equipment, such aa multifunction copiers, stores patient health information that is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Users must take steps to protect patient privacy from the hackers who wish to exploit it.
Multifunction copiers permit you to send documents directly to your computer via network connections without creating hard copies. The machines have internal hard drives, and they store the documents they produce for varying amounts of time. However, because they are connected to a network, it is possible for unapproved individuals to gain access to stored information. This can lead to violations of the HIPAA regulations.
Physicians who fail to protect patient privacy face serious consequences. Security breaches bring bad press, and related fines range from $100 - $50,000 for each violation. The cap for identical violations can be as high as $1.5 million.
Fortunately, you can stay one step ahead of hackers by taking common sense measures to secure your digital equipment.
Protecting patient information is critical to maintaining trust, and many physicians have elected to enlist expert help. Your service provider is uniquely qualified to ensure all security measures are in place to protect patient information.