Increasing Computer Network Security for effective HIPAA Compliance
Categories: HIPAA, HIPAA Compliance
Written By: admin
Making computer networks safe is the core part of the HIPAA plan to totally transform the national patent health data into an electronic image, which can be then effortlessly shared by health care providers, insurance providers and administrators. Because of this, the health care agencies can handle the record keeping process more proficiently and quickly and render efficient service to the patients. As the current computer system is vulnerable to hacking and virus attacks, the vital records are thus at a risk of getting stolen or being wiped out. To safeguard the patient health data, there are network security regulations, which should be adhered, to enable the establishment to attain HIPAA Compliance.
The 2 important parts of HIPAA that pertains to computer network security are:
- Administrative Safeguards:
To attain HIPAA compliance the provider must recognize, protect and intimate any malevolent software program in the system. The compromised emails are carriers of worms, virus and Trojans, and there has to be a safeguard measure to stop the unwanted breach. For managing the computer systems network efficiently, it is important to keep a watch by installing specialized security measures as noted below:
Gateway and virus blocking mechanism should be in place.
The safeguard system should be able to carry out, deep packet penetration, inspect and provision for relevant web filtering mechanisms to the network. Signature systems that refresh at every half hour should be used as they are the premier defense shields against rapidly moving worms.
Security Measures
For a computer network to be HIPAA compliant, it is essential for the organization to draft a security system, which gives authority to the key people or software systems to access the confidential health information.
Appropriate encryption mechanisms should be in place to code the confidential health information when in transit to stop unauthorized access or intercept. The sending of information must be encrypted in a high security encryption and must be received by authorized users who must use the decryption code to decrypt the message.
Ultimately, it is necessary for all parties concerned in the healthcare system, like health service providers, insurance providers, transcription service providers, labs, internet service providers, hospitals and billing services to cement a relation of trust to ensure confidentiality of patient information shared between them. This can be achieved through a linkage of computers that stick to HIPAA rules and regulations to achieve a safe and protected transmission, of private health information on a public platform.
