You’ve got a Project Coming Up and We Can Help

ioSafe hard drives have been called "HIPAA in a box" and "Simplicity for EHR"

If you work in a medical office, chances are that you’re familiar with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). It exists to protect the health insurance of people who lose their jobs. One of its provisions protects the privacy and security of health data.

A recent change to HIPAA and the Health Information Technology for Economical and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) occurred as part of the American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act of 2009. It implements new rules for the accounting and disclosure of a patient’s health information and profile. It extends the current requirements for keeping track and protecting electronic health records (EHRs) or electronic medical records (EMRs). It is one of the most sweeping changes since HIPAA was created. The new rule is that when medical offices use ERHs, the time-frame for making sure the privacy concerns are up to HIPAA standards has been

lowered from six years to three. That means if your office has a HIPAA compliance plan in the works, the time-frame must be accelerated.

The rules state that you must be able to provide the patient with their medical records within 30 days of the request. You also must disclose the medical information to legal

agencies when required to do so by the law. You must make the patient aware of any use of the medical information and correct it as needed. Penalties for the failure of observing these rules can be harsh. This year, UCLA was forced to pay $865,500 in a settlement regarding HIPAA violations.

Among your preparations for protecting your patients information is choosing the right hardware for the job. You need equipment that stand against accidents, natural disasters and theft. We think that you can’t go wrong with ioSafe products.

IoSafe offers many different products that can fit your security needs. If you’re looking for a portable unit for the safe, physical transfer of data between workstations or other locations then the Rugged Portable hard drive line is for you. These portable hard drives live up their name with such features as the Full Metal Jacket crush protection; with it the Rugged can withstand the force of 2500 lbs. (aluminum shell) or 5000 lbs. (titanium alloy). With its immersion protection, it can be dunked in water for three days without the data within being damaged. It also features chemical protection, shock protection, altitude protection and theft protection. Given the need for secure data transfer, you should be aware of the Genie Timeline Pro backup software and encryption software. Equally important are the Data Recovery Service plans that available with most ioSafe products. This service provides the client with forensic data recovery and new hardware.

For workstation placement, the hard drive called the ioSafe SoloPRO is excellent for office environments.  With the latest USB technology and blinding fast data transfer speeds, these models are excellent for the movement and protection of patient health records. The 1TB SoloPRO is waterproof and fireproof and is Mac and PC compatible. Its connectivity allows it to hook-up to NAS networks and it comes with the Data Recovery Service. There are SSD and 3TB models.

The ioSafe Solo is another great choice for keeping records safe. The 1TB model is fireproof, waterproof and has USB 2.0 connectivity. It is PC and Mac compatible and comes with a Data Recovery Service plan with $1000 worth of forensic data recovery. There are also 1.5TB and 2TB models. IoSafe isn’t just about hard drives; they also provide other methods of keeping data secure. Hard drive, business and data safes are also available.

New laws and regulations will always come along and it’s part of your responsibility to your patients that you keep up with and abide by them. HDDfiresafe.com and ioSafe can give you the tools to make this job easier.

Backup & Protect PHI and HIPAA Compliant data with ioSafe hard drives.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, (HIPAA), heralded the arrival of much stricter standards for the electronic storage, or transmission, of protected health information, (PHI). It forced medical practices to take a hard look at their policies, procedures, and electronic infrastructure, but it also left many wondering exactly how they were going to ensure their businesses were compliant with these new regulations.

Technology can be unpredictable. For instance, have you ever had a virus on your computer? These nasty pieces of malicious software can quickly cause a lot of damage and may end up damaging or deleting your important PHI records. So, it is essential that you back up your information to a reliable external device like the ioSafe SoloPRO. This way you can be sure that your files are backed up to a dependable source and you will always have a copy when you need them.

However, the SoloPRO is not just secure, it’s tough too. ioSafe’s technicians have engineered this revolutionary hard drive to withstand some of the harshest conditions you can imagine. This fireproof and waterproof device will protect your data from being submerged in water for up to 72 hours, and will shield it from temperatures up to 1550 degrees Fahrenheit. This level of physical security is unmatched by anyone else in the industry, and is yet another way that your medical practice can use the ioSafe SoloPRO to meet HIPAA regulations.

The SoloPro also supports many forms of encryption software. Once encrypted, you can be sure that anyone who tries to steal your data will be sorely disappointed. This protects your PHI records and severely limits who has access to them. The SoloPRO even comes with a Kensington lock slot so that you can securely tether your hard drive and deter opportunistic thieves.

Its usefulness does not end here, because every ioSafe SoloPRO external hard drive comes complete with a data recovery service that covers you for up to $2,500 of forensic data recovery. This “no questions asked” service covers all eventualities, regardless of how you managed to lose the data on the drive. If needed, ioSafe will recover any and all data they can, and will even ship it back to you on a replacement device just like the one you purchased.

So, if you’re looking for an affordable, all-in-one solution for HIPAA compliance, there are few better choices. Today, electronic data can be compromised in any number of ways, but when you use ioSafe’s SoloPRO hard drives, you are actively preparing for the unknown and working to ensure the safety and security of your patient’s confidential information.