Take the Security of your Client’s Information Seriously
What is HIPAA?
Whether you are in the medical industry or not, you may have heard of HIPAA. HIPAA is an acronym used for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act instituted in 1996. The act requires organizations that work with sensitive health-related information to adhere to national standards for code sets, unique identifiers, and data security. Simply put, the act is in place to protect sensitive information (as related to health and identity) belonging to individuals.
You may be wondering, what does this have to do with printing? Statements, bills, and medical documents need to be printed and mailed from somewhere. Most medical organizations have thousands of patients and couldn’t possibly print and distribute documents in-house. Being a HIPAA compliant printer means we use a regulated process to handle sensitive information and that we understand the importance of security.
How can a Printer be HIPAA compliant?
Third Party Certification
While third-party certification is not recognized or mandated by the US government, it is a way for businesses to invest in making sure they are compliant with HIPAA policy and procedures. A third party is brought in as an expert to help establish HIPAA-compliant processes and security measures. They assess the situation and help make corrections to make the organization compliant. It is a great way for non-medical industry organizations to show that they know and understand HIPAA processes and regulations.
Employee Training
While secure servers, rooms, and file storage are essential to compliance, employee education is probably the most important. HIPAA training and testing help guarantee that our staff knows how to handle sensitive information. It also reinforces to employees, the value placed on data security and being HIPAA compliant.
Secure Facilities
For handling documents with sensitive medical information, there must be secure facilities in place for printing, assembly, and mailing. Organization-wide emphasis on keeping passwords, network access, and electronic files safe and secure is also extremely important. Having the processes in place to take the utmost caution in the transfer and distribution of your client’s sensitive information is also vital to being compliant.
Why work with a HIPAA compliant printer?
Regardless of the industry you work in, taking risks with sensitive client information is dangerous. You need to know and trust that your printer is able to securely print, assemble, and mail your client’s information without worry. Working with a HIPAA compliant printer means that they know and understand what it takes to handle sensitive data.