The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 requires strict guidelines for any transmissions of electronic healthcare records. The provisions require the sender to alert the recipient of the nature of the information and prevent it from getting to unauthorized parties. The rules and regulations are in place to avoid any unlawful access to confidential data related to another party’s medical history. When obtaining signatures electronically, organizations must ensure that the services comply with the regulations.
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Find the Right Vendor
When choosing business services, companies review all the advantages, features, upgrades, and the total cost. Outsourced opportunities are available at a flat-rate fee and give organizations more savings on the services.
HIPAA compliant software must meet all regulations according to federal laws and IT standards. Before they decide on a new integration, the owner must choose appropriate applications for sending and receiving information as well as getting verification for all electronic signatures. Companies can find out more about the programs at mSign now.
Avoiding Storage of Critical Data
Organizations can store information for a limited time, and the data becomes a part of the patient’s full medical history. However, unless the hospital is treating the person long-term, they cannot store the electronic health records permanently in their system.
After a predetermined amount of time, the records must be deleted and removed from the servers and other storage devices. The strategy is used to reduce the risk of access to confidential information that isn’t relevant to their current healthcare needs. Doctors and medical centers cannot obtain the individual’s records without their consent, and the authorization is restricted.
Administrators Must Monitor the Connections
At all points of sending and receiving the electronic signature, the administrators must monitor the connections and mitigate risks. The software attaches a link and transmits the document through email services. The recipient reviews the information and clicks on the link to go to the secured page for entering their signature. While each of these steps is processing, the service provider must prevent outsiders from gaining access to the individual’s records and email services.
Disaster Protection Options
Any time the company has contracts stored on their servers for clients, they must have backup media for each file. If they do not generate duplicates, the organization loses all their data if the server is destroyed or is compromised by a cyber attack. The backups must be stored away from the facility in a secured location to reload a server if the original device is no longer viable.
High-Grade Security for Signing
As the signature link loads, the client is redirected to a secured socket layer where all data is encrypted and hidden from all outsiders. It won’t decode until it is returned to the organization. The robust security schemes prevent criminals from accessing healthcare records and using the data to their advantage. The security measures apply to each step of the process to prevent data loss and to stop anyone from gaining access to confidential data.
HIPAA compliance is a requirement for all transmissions of electronic healthcare records. Whenever an organization must send or receive medical contracts or consent forms from patients, they must use software that follows the established rules. Any deviation from the standards could lead to penalties for the company.
