How Safe and Secure Are Your Electronic Medical Records?

Do you think electronic records are safer than paper records?

Medical professionals have turned to EMRs for their benefits, including time-saving and cost-efficiency. They also help improve the quality of medical care with better-informed decisions made by doctors who can view patient records in real-time instead of relying upon secondhand information from other sources such as handwritten notes or oral interviews. 

One of the most important things to protect your business's data is ensuring that all electronic records are secure from prying eyes. There should always be security measures in place. 

The concerns over EMRs are many and varied, with some professionals arguing that they bring too much risk into the healthcare industry. Some say these devices could make it easier for hackers to steal information, while others worry about data loss in general - even if you use a paper file instead.

EMRs are safe if you take proper precautions, but they're not impervious to threats, just like paper records. Here are a few things healthcare professionals need to know about protecting patient EMRs from harm.

How Safe are your Electronic Medical Records?

Hacking Threats to Electronic Medical Records

It's not just banks and retailers who are vulnerable to hacking - it turns out that one in four attacks on healthcare institutions happen because those organizations have been targeted by digital thieves looking for personal information like bank account numbers or medical records.

Medical clinics and hospitals are the perfect targets for hackers because they contain valuable information. Medical records include Social Security numbers, home addresses/phone numbers, and patient health histories. All of which can be used or sold to steal identities or perform insurance fraud.

Hospitals are struggling with the cost of cyber attacks that compromise patient data. A recent report from Accenture puts this figure at $5 billion annually, and one out of 13 patients have had their personal information exposed due to these schemes. But this doesn't mean that EMRs are unsafe. Medical records are encrypted using the same methods banks use to protect sensitive financial and personal data.

While it may seem like hackers are targeting banks, the keyword here is "targeted." Most encryption methods used at hospitals and clinics can protect against casual thieves without being overwhelmed by more sophisticated software. Fortunately, many additional firewalls can protect against unauthorized access.

When EMRs are being stored or transferred, encryption and firewalls keep them safe from all but the most ardent attackers. It is true even if your company manages these things on behalf of clinics because they'll have safety experts that can mitigate damage quickly when something does happen.

Encryption works to protect data, but it doesn't always do so when human error is involved. For example, 1 in 13 patients has their information compromised because of a mistake made by medical professionals. A big flaw isn't electronic; rather, the problem lies with interacting technologically-induced complexity.

The Human Factor of Record Safety

The utilization of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) has made it possible for anyone involved in a patient's care to access information about them quickly. It includes nurses, billing and claims officers, network administrators and clinic staff members or even the patients themselves. 

HIPAA grants patients fundamental privacy rights for EMR safety, but they can still get a copy of their file by simply requesting one. Emergency department personnel have concerns about the security of EMRs when they're stored on personal computers, which may not provide them with all the same protections as a hospital database. 

Many people store their records online using a Personal Health Record (PHR), which is an easy way to organize and maintain all of your personal information. The best part? You get secure access with just one password. With weak passwords, your patient records may be vulnerable to attack. HIPAA security standards don't apply in this case, making them much less secure than they could otherwise have been.

Except for certain entities, such as life insurance or employment needs, some school districts have a legal right to view patients' records under state law (or other laws). Most health care providers cannot remove personally-identifying information from their electronic medical files.

Currently, many patients store their records on unsecured devices or with weak passwords, which leaves them vulnerable to theft. Patients must be aware of this and take action before it's too late. 

Tips for Keeping Records Safe

Here's how to keep your EMRs safe. Whether you're at your home, in the hospital, or requests access from third parties like patients and employees, these are some tips that will help protect private medical information on an Electronic Medical Record System (EMR).

• Educate patients on EMR safety

The more you educate your patients about the dangers of their information falling into the wrong hands, it will help them feel better and reduce potential risks. Creating pamphlets or having office staff address concerns with those who contact can help minimize these potential risks or problems in advance.

• Keep backup files offline.

The use of ransomware has become an increasingly common way for hackers to beat encryption. Healthcare providers, insurers and affiliated vendors should always keep current backups offline in case this happens, so they continue to provide services without interruption during a cyber attack. With a system like this, you can ensure that your data is secure and does not get lost or compromised.

• Include photos with EMRs to avoid fraud

Medical insurance fraud is a huge issue, and you need to be aware of the dangers. If someone uses your information, they may receive medical care from your practice. Including patient photos with your EMRs is a great way to minimize this risk since clinic staff can double-check against the insurance holder.

• Reduce access to files in the office

To ensure patient data security, you must use a privacy screen when working with sensitive information. Make sure only office staff can see or access electronic files in-office, so they do not get exposed to any outside breaches on this front. Limiting access to information will help protect nurses and doctors from improper scrutiny.

• Create strong passwords

It's essential to create strong passwords and never get shared with anyone who shouldn't have access. If staff members get fired or laid off, change the password ASAP! Make sure that everyone in your medical office is educated on the importance of strong passwords to protect their personal medical information.

• Always sign off when finished.

When nurses, doctors and office staff are done with the system, they need to sign off from their computer or log out of any open files. They should also make sure that no one left on duty signs into an EMR when they're out unless there's a willing replacement ready. 

By following these simple precautions, you can reduce the chances of your information being accessed by an unauthorized individual.

Conclusion

EMRs in medical offices and hospitals are safer than traditional paper forms. They provide many benefits, making them ideal for this type of environment; however, there are still risks associated with their usage that need consideration when managing your office or hospital's switch-over process.

Medical records are an easy target for hackers, but by and large, this doesn't happen often enough to be much of a concern.

The number one threat to your EMRs is human errors. Patients who store personal files on their computers while using weak passwords or third-party vendors accessing patient data in an insecure manner can cause significant damage.

Minimizing these risks is vital for hospitals and healthcare offices to take precautions both in the office and on-site.

You can create strong passwords, sign off at the end of a shift and include photos to keep your records safe with you. Backing up those files online is also essential, so they don't get lost forever if something happens. Educating patients on EMR safety will go far enough to keep them secure. Minimizing these risks is vital for hospitals and healthcare offices to take precautions both in the office and on-site.