According to the Department of Health and Human Services Annual Report to Congress on Breaches of Unsecured Protected Health Information, unauthorized access to, or uses or disclosures of, protected health information affected approximately 1,006,393 individuals in 2010.

This scary statisic was included in the introduction of a report summarizing the survey of 250 healthcare organizations by The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and shows that incidences of confidential patient information being accessed by unauthorized users is on the rise. The (HIMSS) Analytics Report: Security of Patient Data found 27% of the respondents had at least one security breach over the past year, up from 19% in 2010 and 13% in 2008. It is believed that mobile devices are the most likely culprit, but problems involving third-party data storage vendors and the misuse of paper documents were also cited as a possible contributors to security breaches.  31% of respondents replied that information available on a portable device was a factor most likely to facilitate a breach due to theft of a laptop or other type of portable device.

Lisa Gallagher, senior director of privacy and security for HIMSS, advised healthcare facilities to start with employees when implementing a plan to protect this highly sensitive information. Background checks, training and monitoring of healthcare employees and business associates is an integral part of the process, especially since 56% of respondents indicated that the source of the breach was unauthorized access to information by an individual employed by the organization at the time of the breach.

Once you have your immediate and third party employees screened and trained on the best practices for protecting confidential information, call Teltek to take it from there! Over the years, Teltek has assisted hundreds of medical, dental and other types of businesses with their technology needs and we are skilled in what it takes to manage and secure their data. We understand the importance of information security and would be happy to consult with you on the equipment and policies that should be implemented to create a formidable fortress to surrounds your sensitive patient records.

Since 1997, Teltek has become an established resource for nearly 2,000 client’s telephone systems, voice and data cable installations, and carrier services. As a Microsoft Certified Partner and Dell Registered Partner, Teltek has the knowledge and resources necessary to keep your computer network and IT infrastructure current and functioning efficiently with the personalized service Teltek clients have grown to admire. With office locations in Baltimore and Westminster, Maryland, we serve clients across MD, DC and VA.