The Datamax Thinking Blog

Whether they are complying with HIPAA or attesting to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) under MACRA for positive incentives, healthcare professionals cannot avoid (and certainly cannot AFFORD to avoid) the Security Risk Analysis.

For many health organizations, the elephant in the waiting room is still seated there, anxiously anticipating when it might be acknowledged or tended to.

That elephant is the Security Risk Analysis (SRA). Originally mandated by HIPAA and subsequently further enforced by government programs such as Meaningful Use and now the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), the SRA is a vital component to both healthcare facilities’ ultimate livelihood and the confidential information of their clients.

You have a lot of options on the market when you make a technology purchase. The best solution for your business isn't determined solely by the price, the feature set, or how fast the vendor gets it to your doorstep.

Every year, I learn more about copiers, document management, workflow, and, increasingly, managed IT topics.

I do my best to pass on what I learn to you.

Here are the 11 most popular posts in 2017. They cover a range of topics:

• Why you should update old equipment (while I didn’t get into it, this goes for most office technology – not just your copiers!)
• HIPAA compliance issues
• The value of PDF and automated Bates Stamping for law firms
• And some thoughts on costs

Read on for insights into those topics – and more – to get yourself ready for 2018! 

Security isn’t always top of mind, especially when it comes to your employees. Make sure you and your employees aren’t doing any of these six things.

We’ve all had that “kick yourself” moment after something you had a second thought about tragically comes to fruition. We know it could have been prevented, and it was just plain stupid not to have taken the simple steps needed to prevent the mistake.

We take a lot for granted as humans, especially when it comes to securing our data. In fact, did you know that in your office right now it’s likely that 40% of your employees have their passwords stored on their devices in a Word document? Almost half! Not so secure right? 

Despite all the cyber security threats you hear about in the news, the simple fact is that the people within your business are far more of a threat than any software application that you are using. If you’ve ever had second thoughts about your company’s cybersecurity, take a few minutes to check yourself and make sure that you are NOT doing any of the following:

While it’s annoying to hear “it depends” when you ask us how much a copier is, it’s also the truth. Here’s why.

One of the most common questions (if not THE most common question) every copier dealership is asked is some variation of “How much is a copy machine going to cost me?”

Our sales team is asked that all the time.

The answer is (really!): it depends.

I’ll explain why.

Complying with HIPAA is impossible if you don't know where to start. These four business tips will help you get started AND help your business.

With so many rules and acronyms, maintaining a HIPAA-compliant medical office can be a daunting task. Here’s a high-level recap so you can keep your eye on patient care. 

You want to be HIPAA-compliant? You need to perform a risk assessment with the help of a Certified HIPAA Professional (CHP).

It's impossible to watch the news without weekly revelations of some new data breach – Target, Equifax, the WannaCry virus, and even teddy bears have been in the news.

As cybercrime continues to pay, attacks and breaches will continue and will especially affect unprepared businesses.

One industry is squarely in the crosshairs of hackers – healthcare.

Keeping your patient data properly backed up and protected will help you focus on what matters most — the patients you care for.

As a healthcare provider, you know your patients are the number one priority. Part of your obligation to them is to keep their health-related information as confidential as possible.

You want to help patients and not put them at risk from a data breach. Keep them and HIPAA happy by following these straightforward tips to handle your paper-protected health information.

You spend a lot of time staying on top of your electronic health records, but you can't ignore the file cabinets filled with patient information on paper. A completely paperless operation is a dream for many health companies. Until you can achieve that digital goal, you need an effective way to restrict access to your hard copies.

Every improvement you make in office organization gives doctors and patients more time to communicate.

The call on hold blinks on the other line. As you cradle the phone on your shoulder, you talk calmly to a supplier about another late shipment of office supplies. Soon you'll be late for a staff meeting.

It's all you can do to keep your doctor's or medical office running smoothly. It's not like other businesses -- your customers are patients who are healing and have concerns about their condition. Doctors, nurses, and other staff don't want any delays in delivering care due to back-office problems. Every improvement you make in office organization gives doctors and patients more time to communicate.

The multifunction copier is covered in the Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and the HIPAA Security Rule. It's considered a machine that stores, transmits, receives, or creates protected health information.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is 20 years old, so you have a lot of experience with following its requirements. Your healthcare office has several security measures in place to stay HIPAA compliant, but you may be overlooking a key area: your digital copiers. Here are a few ways you could be compromising your patients' health information due to this oversight.