Securely Storing Medical Records to Ensure Compliance

Know What You’re Required to Protect

HIPAA covers anything that could identify a patient and tie them to a diagnosis or health service. Names, addresses, birth dates, photos, billing details, and appointment times can all fall under protected health information. If you want to stay compliant, you’ll need a complete understanding of what qualifies as PHI and where it’s stored. Most violations happen because no one took the time to map out the risks. Compliance starts with a clear inventory of the way your practice collects, stores, and shares patient data. From there, you can create protections that are realistic and scalable. 

Avoid the Most Common Storage Mistakes

If a clinician leaves their laptop in the car or a front desk worker forgets to log out, your information could be at risk. A lot of everyday activities, like tossing out old charts in the trash can instead of shredding them, can put your business in violation. A lot of practices give all of their employees the same level of medical records, even when it’s not needed for their role. This increases the chances of exposure or misuse. Storage location can be problematic as well. Leaving old files in the closet or storing digital backups on shared servers without password protection is asking for trouble. If you’re using third-party vendors, they need to be HIPAA-compliant, too.

Security Depends on the System, Not the Format

Some people assume that a paper chart is safer because it can’t be hacked. That’s kind of true, but paper records can still be lost, stolen, or occupied, and they will be harder to track. If someone walks out with a file, then there’s no audit trail. You probably won’t know it’s happened until it’s too late. Digital records have their own set of risks, though. A poorly protected database is just as vulnerable as an unlocked filing cabinet. However, digital systems do offer advantages when it comes to configured property. You can set automatic backups, limit access to certain personnel, and generate reports that show who viewed or changed each record. A hybrid approach can be built around the needs of your office. Small practices may still need to keep some records on paper, like forms that require physical signatures. But, those should be stored in a locked, access-controlled cabinet and digitized as soon as possible.

Backups Are Your Safety Net

You don’t want to lose every patient file in your system because of a flood or software crash. A backup system is a compliance requirement. HIPAA mandates that you create a retrievable, exact copy of all electronic PHI and store it in a secured location. It should be performed routinely, on a schedule that will show how often your records change. It’s a good idea to consider the following three types of backups: 

• On-Site Backups: External hard drives or local servers. 
• Off-Site Backups: Stored at another physical location. 
• Cloud-Based Backups: Secure HIPAA-compliant storage services. 

Relying on just one backup location can be risky. If your local system goes down and that’s your only copy, you’d still be out of luck. Make sure your system is encrypted and that access is limited to trained staff.

What You Can Do Right Now to Strengthen Your Storage Strategy

If you’re not sure where your weak points might be, start with a basic audit. Walk through your office and check where the physical records are stored, who has access to digital platforms, and what happens if someone leaves your organization. If a regulator walked in today, would you be able to prove that you were doing your due diligence? Next, you’ll need to train your team. Everyone who handles patient data needs to understand what counts as PHI and how to recognize a phishing attempt. Training should be ongoing. You should also evaluate your vendors and make sure you have proof of HIPAA compliance.

Protect Your Practice by Protecting Your Data

Your patients count on you to provide care and keep their private information safe. Losing control of your medical records could unravel years of hard work and dedication. Physicians Educate People is here to provide strategic solutions for healthcare professionals. Contact us today to find out how we can help.