That also means this data (and you) qualify for “safe harbor" and are not required, as you would be otherwise, to report a breach to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to your patients, and to the media.Īsk your software company if your software has built-in AES encryption (you might want to request third party verification) for both data at rest and data in motion. Yet, remarkably, MacPractice DDS is one of only a few single-database practice management and EHR software programs that is ONC-ACB Certified, meaning your data is encrypted at rest and in motion. My company, MacPractice, has been aware of this for many, many years.
But a $10 billion company being fined is small potatoes compared to the bigger story that most dental software isn’t encrypting patient data. Up until February 4, you can comment on the FTC proposed settlement. Recently, the largest dental software company was fined $250,000 to settle Federal Trade Commission charges it falsely advertised the level of encryption it provided to protect patient data. Without question, you should be using software that utilizes industry-standard AES data encryption and integrates secure messaging to protect your patient’s information and communications. Make sure your software secures your patient’s information Patients expect you to comply with HIPAA privacy and security rules.Ĥ.
Your patients expect you to protect the personal identity and health information they have entrusted to you. HIPAA requires that doctors protect patients’ personal identity and health information at rest and in motion using AES encryption at a minimum.Ģ016 is expected to be the year for auditing practices for HIPAA compliance. If you're a user of this software, you need to know the details.ĭata passed back and forth on your network between your server and terminals in your office, or from outside (including remote secondary offices), is called "data in motion." Data in motion also includes e-mails, text messages, and any other electronic communication you have with patients, as well as other practitioners and insurance carriers.
#ENCRYPTION PROGRAMS FOR MAC PASSWORD#
Recently, the most prevalent practice management software on the market was found to have the same, easily discoverable, hard-coded database password for every practice. data in motion: know the differenceĭata written to your disks is called "data at rest." Your practice management and imaging database(s) should be protected by a strong password that is unique and also encrypted. Here I will present the five “need-to-know" items for every doctor and office manager when it comes to data encryption.ĭata encryption makes patient data collected and maintained by you, “electronic protected health information" (ePHI) as defined by HIPAA, indecipherable by hackers without your unique encryption key.Ģ. It’s important to understand the principles of data encryption and secure email, and you need to know how it can affect your practice and your patients. Ignorance is not a defensible excuse for not understanding the rules and doing everything you can to protect yourself and your patients. Think about it, your credit card company, your bank, and your doctor have enough of your valuable personal information sitting on their computers or traveling over the Internet for your identity to be stolen by a hacker.Īs a doctor or office manager, complying with HIPAA to protect patient health information, including x-rays and photos, is your responsibility. Unfortunately, as the world becomes more digital each day, it is virtually impossible not to have your personal information spread around the World Wide Web in some way. Unless you’re a hacker, a spy or have worked for the government, data encryption is not on the top of your mind. Here’s what every doctor and office manager absolutely need to know about securing electronic protected health information (ePHI).
If not, doctors and office managers put their patients at risk, are liable for steep legal consequences, and jeopardize the future of their careers. Recent events have made it imperative for practices to take note of cybersecurity weaknesses in their current practice software.
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