The HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HITECH Act have been around for quite some time. However, many companies involved in the health care transactions covered by these laws are behind the times when it comes to compliance. When you really think about it, even companies not covered by these laws should implement these recommended policies and procedures in their business technology. If HIPAA compliance a goal your company would like to implement this coming year, EnvisionIT Solutions can help support you and/or your existing information technology team.
Here are things to think about to get your company’s information technology working under best practices:
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Access Control – How are users granted access to programs, client data and equipment? This also includes how administrators are notified to disable accounts when needed.
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Workstation Use – Requires secure passwords, monitoring logins and limiting unsuccessful logins. Policies also need to cover Internet Safety best practices such as not allowing passwords to be written down or shared between multiple users.
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Security Awareness – Organizations must ensure regular training of employees regarding security updates and what to be aware of. You must also keep an audit trail of your reminders and communications in case you’re audited.
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Malicious Software Controls – You must have documented policies for the frequency with which anti-malware and antivirus software are updated and what happens if an infection/outbreak occurs.
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Disaster Recovery – How you respond to emergency situations (of all shapes and sizes) must be fully documented and tested regularly. A full Disaster Recovery Plan is something our company can help you with.
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Media Disposal – How do you dispose of old computer equipment and data? You must have policies and procedures in place that cover exactly how all equipment is properly disposed of and logged.
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Review and Audit Procedures – There’s much more to HIPAA compliance than the seven items discussed here. Be certain that whatever you do has a firm audit trail i.e., a log, that shows that everything has been executed according to plan.
These are just starting points. If you’re subject to HIPAA or just want to make sure that your company is covered by these simple best practices, contact our office and we’ll be happy to review these areas with you. At EnvisionIT Solutions, we know technology so you don’t have to! We’ll even support your IT support.
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Written By Kevin Gray
Hello! I am the Sales Manager and one of the Senior IT Consultants @ EnvisionIT Solutions. I help our clients envision great technology solutions that help their businesses grow. Let me know if you have any questions. I am an avid outdoorsman who loves fly fishing and camping. I also love sports – soccer, basketball, football….