HIPAA Security: Laptop and Mobile Device Management

HIPAA security. We all know about the multi-staged reconfiguration, qualification and certification processes required of the modern Health Care Provider in order to meet “The Standards” – Omnibus rule, Meaningful use, E-prescribing, Physician Quality Reporting, etc. (ICD 10!!) Lots of procedure and systems to help secure and manage the speedy and efficient flow of Protected Health Information (PHI)  in and around the patient, provide and insurer.

One part of this maze is the potential loss of data – the breach. Especially mobile data. Laptops are a part of it but tablets and smartphones are big offenders in the not-so-secure world of mobile PHI. We have heard stories of organizations who have come under the Health and Human Services hi-intensity spotlight being sued for millions because of a single text message.

Enter Laptop Management (LTM) and Mobile Device Management (MDM). A few solutions do this well but without any of them, you are exposed. Loss of a phone is common, they are easy to crack and harvest data from. Same thing is true of laptops – they can hold a lot of sensitive data in multiple applications and to any true identity thief (or even a generic crooks hands) that information is valuable. Identity thieves are crafty characters that you need to plan for and mitigate their access to your PHI.

LTM and MDM offer the ability to track usage, control data that is accessed or loaded, configure or lock a device, remotely wipe and (god forbid) report on a breach. Hosted software and solutions that can provide a full complement of tools, alerting and reporting to keep your data tight and your practice in line. All of these tools are plainly and  absolutely needed. As a HIPAA Business Associate, we bring years of experience gained through the evolution of the HIPAA and HITECH changes Healthcare Providers face. It was not simple and the benefits of a well-built system will not only protect from loss or suit but also, in the original intentions of HIPAA, will improve health care and well-being for the patient.

And isn’t that the whole point of HIPAA?

Contact Beringer today for how your data can be protected and secured.

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