Over the last several weeks, we have been taking a look at how HIPAA has affected data storage as we know it today. Nearly every medical office has a vast amount of patient files, and they need to be stored somehow. Cloud computing is the norm in this digital age, but we always have to be sure that the cloud computing provider we select is familiar with and strictly adhering to HIPAA laws and practices.
Just as a quick reminder, we’ve gone over the fact that medical offices must first inventory their protected health information, or PHI, to see where they stand. In addition to this, a medical office should always safeguard itself with a data storage company with a business associate agreement. Also, information security must also be the focus.
There is also an important list of questions that a medical office or practice should ask a prospective data storage facility, and we will highlight some of the most important ones. First, ask a company what business they specialize in. If it’s not healthcare, how familiar with healthcare data are they? A very important question to also ask is how intense their security background checks are for employees. A common sense question to ask, but still a very important one, is if the company understands HIPAA and will adhere to it for the life of the business arrangement. Also make sure to find out where the company’s physical systems are actually located (where the data is actually being stored).
Basically, it is best to interview the company as if they were a prospective employee – find out what their strengths and weaknesses are, while being completely sure that they understand healthcare data and how to best store and handle it.
If you are looking for a completely secure, professional, and efficient cloud storage provider, look no further than Biztek Solutions, Inc. We will protect healthcare data to the utmost degree, and also help you find better IT solutions within your company. Feel free to give us a call at (800)353-5430 to speak with a professional member of our staff.
