HIPAA Data SecurityIf you work in the health care field you probably known about HIPAA. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a big and far reaching bill that is mainly concerned with health insurance coverage for workers, however a HIPAA Data Security Requirement was also instituted for the electronic storing of patient data beginning in 2005. Many health care providers have thus taken to outsourcing their data storage to HIPAA data security certified companies, to ensure they are in compliance with the HIPAA data security regulations; as well as to reduce costs. The HIPAA Data Security Requirement mandates that all systems have specific security measures in place. These security measures must be physically and electronically secure. The data must also be protected from unauthorized retrieval while also being available for emergency use of the data. This is quite a feat for doctor's offices and small hospitals which do not have a dedicated IT staff. Even those who do may find it easier and cheaper to simply entrust their data to a company specialized in HIPAA Data Security. Many of these HIPAA Data Security services offer these services in online, automated format for easy and fast retrieval. Some of these are also web based, while still maintaining a high degree of security. You should not enter into a contract with any data storage service company does not offer a high security and reliable method of accessing your data. Ask to see if you can get a free trial of their service, or see a demo. This way you can witness firsthand how easy data is to retrieve and what security measures are in place. You should also not settle for a company that does not provide proof that it is complaint with HIPAA Data Security regulations. Ideally they will have accreditation or certification in this regard. The web is your friend here, as you can research the company on blogs, forums, or other sites to see what kind of reputation they have. It is unlikely you will be able to personally visit their data center if it is located across the country, but that does not mean you should not ask questions if they do not provide a detailed description of their hardware and operational environment. Plans for HIPAA Data Security Hosting are often quite affordable, but that does mean you should go with a less than credible company simply to cut costs. |