IMPROVE RECORDS PRIVACY AND SECURITY!

Keeping confidential records private and secure from unauthorized viewers is a challenge that many organizations face. Whether it's a divorce agreement, home equity loan or a medical history, such information is private to those involved and confidentiality is not only essential but expected. In fact, for healthcare institutions, privacy of records is now a federal regulation.

The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) standards are requiring major changes in all facets of information management within healthcare organizations. The U.S. Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance to healthcare organizations on how to interpret the Privacy Rule, stating that organizations are required to "make reasonable efforts to limit access to protected health information to those in the workforce that need access based on their roles." They also stated that some organizations might need to make "... certain modifications to their facilities to minimize access, such as isolating and locking file cabinets and record rooms.."

The healthcare industry has placed a well-deserved focus on patient privacy, but whose to say that privacy guidelines shouldn't apply to other industries as well. Many industries could benefit by taking steps to protect their records such as investment portfolios, tax records, insurance policies, last wills and testaments and others.

Are your patient, customer or client records stored in a secured, locked location?

Files that are freely accessible can easily get into the wrong hands and be viewed by the wrong eyes. There isn't any organization that would want to subject itself to such a risk of liability by not taking steps to protect confidential information. Consolidating files from multiple areas into one central file area is one step in protecting confidential records. After consolidating, files can be placed in a lockable storage unit in a secured room to provide further protection. This effort may require moving your files, modifying your file system, and maybe even a new storage system. However, it will be worth the effort to ensure privacy.

Do your patient or customer files have non-identifiable labels?

In healthcare and other industries, adopting a policy of creating files without private information would be beneficial. For example, changing to a number-based filing system would eliminate confidential information from the labels. Using bar code tracking and labeling systems is another way to keep file labels non-identifiable. In addition, these systems can keep your files organized and accessible, while eliminating misfiles and speeding retrievals.

Privatizing your records and the way they are handled doesn't have to be a painful experience - SYSTEC and its members can assist you every step of the way! We can analyze your current methods to determine your firm's individual needs, facilitate and handle your file conversions and record moves (onsite or offsite), and provide lockable storage solutions that can even increase storage capacity.