An article, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, outlines the types of safeguards healthcare providers can use to protect patient information.
Here are three types of safeguards, and examples of each, that healthcare providers can use to protect against data breaches, according to the authors of the article:
Physical
• Confidential patient care — Private examination and consultation rooms, attention to eavesdropping risks
• Document storage — Secure-access filing for medical records and bills, controlled prescription pads
• Document disposal and destruction — Shredding
Electronic
• User authentication — Passwords, automatic logouts and biometric information
• Systems protections — Firewalls, anti-virus programming and active audit trails
• Safe hardware disposal — Erasing hard drives from rented photocopiers and proper disposal of used computers
Human capital
• Careful hiring practices — Careful vetting of potential hires, including the use of background checks
• Training and education — Education about individually identifiable information, appropriate information sharing and protocols for screening information seekers
• Termination and separation protocols — Timely deactivation of electronic and physical access
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Here are three types of safeguards, and examples of each, that healthcare providers can use to protect against data breaches, according to the authors of the article:
Physical
• Confidential patient care — Private examination and consultation rooms, attention to eavesdropping risks
• Document storage — Secure-access filing for medical records and bills, controlled prescription pads
• Document disposal and destruction — Shredding
Electronic
• User authentication — Passwords, automatic logouts and biometric information
• Systems protections — Firewalls, anti-virus programming and active audit trails
• Safe hardware disposal — Erasing hard drives from rented photocopiers and proper disposal of used computers
Human capital
• Careful hiring practices — Careful vetting of potential hires, including the use of background checks
• Training and education — Education about individually identifiable information, appropriate information sharing and protocols for screening information seekers
• Termination and separation protocols — Timely deactivation of electronic and physical access
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