Patient privacy issues pertaining to medical records have become a big topic among medical professionals since the shift to digital record keeping. The HIPAA regulations require medical practices to maintain digital patient records in lieu of hard copy records and that has some patients worried.
In a study highlighted by Physician’s Money Digest, one out of every five patients surveyed said that they withhold information from their doctors for fear of a data breach. It was also revealed that patients feel that an internal data breach administered by staff members would be much more damaging to a practice than if the practice was hacked by an outside source. But with good practice management software and strong operational tactics, a medical practice can ease the fears of patients and gather the information necessary to deliver premium care.
Choose Your Staff Wisely And Educate Them
There is no positive outcome for your practice or your staff with a data breach that was initiated by someone inside the front office. The breach will hurt business and it could also force you to bring legal action against the staff member who facilitated the breach. When you hire staff members, hire only those people that you can trust and educate your staff members on the importance of good record keeping.
Hire Qualified Office Management
A good office manager can help ease patient fears about data breaches and any other issues that may come up regarding patient information. A reliable office manager can address patient concerns directly and give your staff a responsible point of contact that your patients can trust.
Install Practice Management Software
The very best practice management software is designed to protect your patient files from anyone who may want to steal them. You can even set up your patient filing system to be accessible only to your office manager, which immediately reduces the possibility of a data breach. Your staff can add information to patient files, but only your office manager can actually access the full files themselves.
Practice management software offers other security measures such as unique identification numbers for each critical patient file and 256-bit secure encryption that offers the maximum protection against any kind of data breach. By investing in good practice management software, you will give your patients the peace of mind needed to make them feel confident in providing the information you require to offer premium care.
When you want the very best in practice management software and security, then you need Practice Suite. Along with a wide variety of practice management features, the Practice Suite solution also includes 256-bit encryption and other data security measures that will keep your patient information safe at all times. By engaging in good hiring practices and investing in Practice Suite practice management software, you will be able to ease the concerns of your patients and get back to the job of providing the best patient care possible.
George N Root III is a professional freelance writer who has expertise in topics such as Internet marketing, business, advertising, and personal finance.
