“The Privacy Rule, or Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, establishes national standards for the protection of certain health information. The Security Standards for the Protection of Electronic Protected Health Information (the Security Rule) establish a national set of security standards for protecting certain health information that is held or transferred in electronic form.” – Department of Health and Human Services revealing the importance of Healthcare Data Protection
Needless to say that data protection and privacy have always been a growing concern for various industries and healthcare is no such exception.
Studies reveal that since PHI or Personal Health Information has a longer shelf life, it is valued over worth over $250 per record. And that’s a lot if you think about it.
Therefore, the paradigm shift and dynamic evolution of rules and regulations governs healthcare professionals, safeguarding the patient’s personal information.
However, protecting sensitive healthcare data is not as easy as it may seem. Although advanced tech solutions and next-generation databases are prevailing, professionals are still struggling to protect sensitive healthcare data.
And that’s exactly what this blog focuses on.
Read on to learn more about how healthcare organizations can protect sensitive information and ensure utmost confidentiality.
Keeping strategies in compliance with HIPAA Security Rules
The HIPAA or Health Insurance Profitability and Accountability Act mandates healthcare professionals to safeguard personal health information, restricting its disclosure to third parties without prior patent authorization.
That’s why it is crucial for healthcare professionals to draft data security plans, safeguarding the sensitive data on administrative, physical, and technical levels.
Ensure efficient data encryption
It is rightly said that personal healthcare information is as valuable as credit card details. This means that if the data falls into wrong hands, it can turn out to be problematic.
So, what’s the solution?
Well, according to industry experts, encrypting data is one of the surefire ways to protect sensitive data. This is especially important for the healthcare industry.
Data encryption helps in safeguarding sensitive information by creating a secured firewall. This farewell further prevents hackers from breaching the firewall and misusing sensitive information.
The HIPAA rule states that healthcare providers are free to choose from various encryption methods/algorithms and other measures to ensure sensitive data protection.
Incorporating redaction techniques
There are times when healthcare providers are bound to submit certain records and documents. In such cases, it is important to redact crucial information such as name, address, contact details, social security numbers, and medical history. In fact, with images and videos, it is important to hide faces and other personal details such as piercings, tattoos, and many more.
That’s why outsourcing professionals at Aeren LPO suggest seeking help from industry professionals before sharing any important healthcare documents. Such professionals use reliable tools and strategies to analyze documents, identify PHI and redact necessary details. This way, it gets easier for healthcare professionals to share documents without revealing any personal information of their clients.
Summing Up
Ensuring sensitive data protection can be a challenging task. Do it wrong and you may find yourself in professional and legal trouble. So, use the tips that are mentioned above and protect sensitive healthcare data and ensure the utmost confidentiality of your client’s data.
How do Professionals at Aeren LPO help?
Aeren LPO is one of the best Legal Processing Outsourcing firms in India. The professionals associated are well-versed with the latest laws and regulations, helping your healthcare organization stay in compliance with them.
Our team has years of experience and knowledge about e-discovery that allows them to identify and redact PHI from healthcare documents. Not to mention, they also integrate the latest technology and tools while functioning, ensuring utmost efficiency and reduced turnaround time.
For further details, you can also check out the official website of Aeren LPO and contact concerned professionals for better understanding.
