13 Aug Are Your Printers HIPAA Compliant?
If your business handles protected health information (PHI), it is expected that your printers are HIPAA compliant, but how sure are you that they are? We’ll review some best practices that your office can take to ensure your printers are in fact HIPAA compliant.
Secure Location
One of the simplest ways to secure your printer is to make sure it is located somewhere that is not accessible to unauthorized personnel or the public. It should also be conveniently accessible to those who use it the most often, and where it can be watched for unauthorized access or deserted print jobs.
Authorized Printing
Employees allowing documents to print and leaving them unattended means there is the chance of an unauthorized person picking them up. Instead, something as small as having employees using a unique PIN to complete the printing job ensures the documents remain secure.
Electronic Fax
Faxes are still utilized in healthcare, but unless the fax machine is closely monitored for someone to immediately collect received documents, any received PHI is left unsecure. An updated alternative is to use electronic fax or e-fax. Faxes are sent digitally, usually to a specified email address, and are accessible only to authorized users.
Clear Hard Drives
Like computers, printers have hard drives that store information about documents that were printed. It is important that any data on the hard drive be cleared before it is recycled, discarded, or returned per your lease agreement to prevent unlawful access to PHI.
Document Management Software
Document management software can provide even more security to guarantee HIPAA compliance. This type of software can monitor and track user activity, restrict access by unapproved personnel, and authorize print releases. If you are leasing your printing equipment, inquire if this is an available feature.
Arizona Business Equipment can offer secure printers and other customized security solutions to ensure your business is HIPAA compliant. To find out about office equipment leasing in Tucson, call (520) 888-2679.