Patients Worry About Personal Health Information (PHI) Study Reveals
When asked who patients hold responsible for their privacy, 84% either said their doctor, a staff member by role or the parctice as a whole. The survey polled 1000 patients and was recently published by CDW. 49% of respondents indicated concern that EHR would have a negative impact on their personal health information (PHI). According to the survey patients believe that health care providers must protect financial information (86%), personal health information (93%), and any information provided about the patients family (94%).
Right now patients trust their healthcare provider more than anyone to protect their data. "The new EHR era not only brings new sets of complexities to health organizations, but particularly in the area of IT security", said Johannes Banck, SBSC of Computer Systems Support a Fairfield County IT provider. He continues "Right now in a paper based office, lock and key may be enough, but once the records reside in the digital realm, security becomes very important because of the speed with which large amounts of data can be moved once breached. Digital files are not inherently less secure, but they do require a different set of technologies, processes and policies".
Of survey respondents who were notified of a breach 33% changed their relationship with the problem organization including 9% who severed the relationship, 12% who reduced spending and 12% who said they no longer trusted the provider. "The biometric mice are just the ticket for technology that requires complex passwords" said Johannes Banck, SBSC
Biometric Mice - A Boon to Medical Provider Offices
Recently I noticed at a busy practice in Westport a RN carrying a 7 lb. laptop from Exam Room to the front desk and to her office when EHR stations existed in all three places. When asked she responded that it is easier and quicker than to log in to the each workstation. In any IT implementation passwords remain a source of friction. "One of the things doctors are frustrated with is how to remember complex passwords "Johannes Banck, SBSC said a meeting with healthcare providers "Let's face it, a lot of docs are not good typists and long passwords are challenging". Busy doctors writing down their passwords and carrying them around in their pockets or worse yet leaving the piece of paper under the keyboard.
Then there are of course the pesky password resets for fogotten passwords. Biometric mice to the rescue. Biometric Mice technology measures points on fingerprints, compares them to a database and then either grants or denies access - all with the swipe of a finger. "These mice are an incredible time-saver for all requiring frequent sign-ins to workstations", said Banck.
Computer Systems Support & Design, LLC based in Fairfield County helps medical provider offices get the most out of their IT infrastructure and supports them in implementing and maintaining their systems.
Please also check out our 6 Tips For Using Passwords to Protect Against Identity Theft suggestions about how to best handle our myriad of passwords.
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