HIPPA compliance in Medical offices

The HIPPA Act states that Medical offices in the United States have a -legal- necessity to keep their patient files from any “third-party access”. Which basically states, no other eyes are to have access to those files. Period. Or their HIPPA compliance, and hence, their office is in legal trouble.

Recently, web news site AustralianIT reports that even with a firewall, patient files are most likely at risk.
Net threat to patient files by Karen Dearne dated Sep 06, 2005

HOW COULD THEY SAY THIS!?
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1) A Google search for the phrase “internet explorer” “use another browser” results in 49,900 results

a) The first in the list is of course the C.E.R.T. (U.S. Homeland Security Computer Emergency Responce Team) page stating the phrase “use another browser” in context regarding Internet Explorer:
b) Then comes CBS News.
c) Then the James Madison University daily graph of attempts to exploit Internet Explorer on student computers.
d) etc., etc., etc….

2) A Google search for the phrase “internet explorer vulnerability” results in 49,300 results

3) A Google search for the phrase “internet explorer exploit” results in 31,100 results (Exploit meaning a “way to take advantage of or flat out take control of”.)

4) A Google search for the phrase “internet explorer security hole” results in 1,050 results

Are you starting to get the idea?

Now Doctors, apply this new-found data and think of your patient files in your medical office computers and then think of the HIPPA Act.

Do you still think your electronic patient file storage is HIPPA compliant?

Do your computers get annoying popup windows? Have your assistants come to you complaining that “My Internet is slow!”? Is their Internet Explorer home page different than what you set it for? In Internet Explorer, if they type in cnn.com do they get a different webpage instead?

If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then no - you are NOT HIPPA compliant. Your computers are being controlled by a third-party and you have been forced to violate the HIPPA Act, thereby putting your business at risk.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, then Los Angeles Computerhelp can assist you in becoming HIPPA compliant. If you are not, then you need to call a _competent_ computer service technician (one who is not going to just upgrade your Windows Security Updates or rely on an Internet Explorer dependant security program such as Norton or McAfee) to get your HIPPA compliance up to par. And you should do this yesterday.

Note that while this data should also be of concern to Financial Advisors, Banks, Accountants, CPAs, Stock Brokers, etc. due to the nature of the data on their computers, private consumers should take action as well.

Why? Do you visit your online bank? Use a checkbook or stock tracking program? Then answer this question:
Where do you want your data to go today?

And you should ensure that the above named professionals that service you have taken care of this situation as well. After all, it’s _your_ data on their computers…