In healthcare, it is critical to keep patient information secure and protected. Breaches in patient information and confidentiality are a violation of HIPAA compliance, destroy the trust your patient has in your practice and can be a costly mistake that takes time to correct. According to HealthTech, “Healthcare cybercrime is on the rise. The total number of breached records rose from 13,947,909 two years ago to 41,335,889 in 2019, with the recent figure representing 12 percent of the U.S. population.” While even the most diligent systems can be compromised, there are steps to take to decrease that risk. Protect your practice and your patient’s privacy with three essential ways to avoid cyber security risks.

Assess Your Current Situation and Update as Needed

While many security tips seem fairly intuitive, they can easily be overlooked. A routine audit should be done often to ensure smooth operation of your system. Double check to ensure a firewall is in place to protect every device that is connected to internet, including encryption on personal mobile devices. Keep up with malware and anti-virus software updates and have employees regularly update passwords. Ensure the most sensitive information is password protected and access is limited.

Offer Staff Education and Training

Employees are the lifeblood of any organization. The continued success of your facility counts on the diligent work of each individual. Without proper knowledge of cyber security best practices, staff members may fall prey to targeted phishing emails. Scams are evolving and can be difficult to detect for the untrained eye. Even the most careful person could mistake these hacker threats for a legitimate email, or even accidentally breach security on their own. It only takes a couple of clicks to compromise your system. In order to avoid this, consider offering a mix of in-person cyber security training, mandatory webinars or provide written materials with helpful tips and reminders.

Utilize Proper Document Management

Pick tools that you can trust. In order to capture patient documentation and handle back end paperwork, you’ll need a secure scanning option. Collecting valuable patient information in your EMR system should be simple and hassle free. With updates to technology, best practices, file storage and more, it’s important to adjust your hardware to fit your changing needs. As a market leader in ID and document scanners, Ambir Technology offers a wide range of products that enable rapid, accurate electronic capture of patient data, are plug-and-play compatible with thousands of TWAIN-compliant software applications and are adaptable to any registration counter or mobile cart. Our secure and reliable scanners are trusted by healthcare facilities across the country.

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