What is HIPAA?
By law, healthcare providers, health plan administrators, and data clearinghouses are required to follow standards and guidelines outlined under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The HIPAA law was enacted to safeguard the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI) of patients and is regulated by the Department of Health and Human Services. Health practitioners and other businesses that maintain PHI are required to be HIPAA compliant. Compliance means they have taken the proper measures in all aspects of their business, including employee training, office interaction, and technology use to protect and secure clients’ private information.
ITA’s HIPAA Compliant IT Services Protect You from Audits
ITA provides 24/7 IT support for healthcare businesses and those that handle protected health information. Medical practices, dentist offices, and health insurers are required to follow HIPAA compliance laws and take precautions to ensure that any information from patients is appropriately secure to protect those individuals’ privacy. Failure to do so can lead to steep penalties for non-HIPAA compliant companies. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights conducts periodic audits of businesses that must maintain HIPAA compliance. ITA’s HIPPA compliant IT support in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX area provides the assurance those businesses need when facing that type of investigation.
Enjoy a Secure Network with ITA
The federal government’s guidelines for HIPAA are stringent to protect an individual’s confidential information. While rules and regulations detailing HIPAA are very clear, it’s virtually impossible for an inexperienced IT team to ensure 100% compliance across all aspects of your storage and network. Small- and medium-sized local healthcare businesses deserve top-tier HIPAA compliance IT support that protects their patients and their business. That’s where ITA comes in. Our team provides turn-key IT solutions for our clients in the Dallas and Fort Worth, TX area. We have years of experience with various versions of practice management software in the medical and dental fields. The team at ITA can meet all of your IT service support needs.
Identifying Protected Health Information
When patients visit or conduct business with a healthcare provider or insurance agent, information collected during the transaction that could be used to identify the patient is considered protected health information. It doesn’t matter how harmless or vague the information might seem. It must be kept confidential under HIPAA laws. Some examples of PHI are:
- Name
- Address
- Any dates directly related to an individual
- Birthdate
- Date of admission or discharge
- Date of death
- Telephone or fax number
- Email address
- Vehicle identifiers or license plate numbers
- Device identifiers or serial numbers
- Web URLs
- IP address
- Medical record numbers
- Social Security Number
- Health plan beneficiary number
- Account numbers
- Biometric identifiers
- Full-face photos
How Can PHI Get into the Wrong Hands?
Protecting information goes beyond stopping hackers from accessing the information on your servers. A robust firewall might keep out malware and other digital intruders. Still, proper protective IT measures must cover all potential data breaches because HIPAA violations can also happen in a variety of ways. Among the most common are:
- Stolen laptop computers
- Lost unencrypted flash drives
- Use of outside vendors that haven’t signed a business associate agreement
- Computer screens in public view displaying PHI
- Office break-ins
- Sending PHI to the wrong patient
The Difference Between PHI and ePHI
Electronic protected health information (ePHI) refers to any of the protected health information noted above that is stored, transmitted, or received electronically. Computers and email have made the storing and disseminating of data fast and convenient. But because of the ease at which we can access and share information, it’s critical to ensure that individuals’ health data is properly preserved. ePHI encompasses anything related to sending and receiving data through email and file transfers, as well as any storage. Businesses that handle personal information relating to patients need to ensure HIPAA compliance within email, file transfers, and storage devices, including:
- Personal computers
- Internal hard drives
- External portable hard drives
- Removable storage devices
- Smartphones
Use ITA’s IT Services to Establish HIPAA Compliance
Healthcare practices and insurance companies in the Dallas or Fort Worth, TX area need to protect the personal information of individuals for HIPAA compliance. ITA provides the IT services your business needs should you face an audit. Our HIPAA compliant help desk is available 24/7 to answer your call. We are continually working behind the scenes keeping your hardware and data sharing to the required federal standards. With our HIPPA compliant IT services, you can feel at ease knowing your business’ entire infrastructure is HIPAA compliant, including cloud storage, network, email, data storage, and all backups. Our HIPAA compliant services include:
- HIPAA Compliant Help Desk: As a medical or dental practice, your patients’ health and privacy is critical. You shouldn’t be expected to know how to secure and encrypt data. Your focus should be on providing exceptional care for your patients. Our HIPAA compliant help desk provides you with the data protection you need so you can do just that. Our around the clock help desk ensures we’re available for support and to answer any of your questions about patient security and privacy.
- HIPAA Compliant Cloud Services: Cloud computing allows on-demand access to data and files without businesses’ need to invest in or actively manage a storage system. We can provide HIPAA compliance for all cloud services, including Office 365, virtual desktops, and file management systems.
- HIPAA Compliant Home Office Setup: Working from home and remote office setups have become more common recently due to distancing requirements brought on by COVID-19. Advancements in cloud computing have made it easy to link systems and networks for those employees who don’t work in the same space. With home office setup and support by ITA, you can have the confidence that all of your computer systems and data transmissions are HIPAA compliant no matter where your employees are working or what device they use.
- Business Associate Agreements: While medical offices and health insurance companies are required to protect their patients and customers’ privacy, other organizations who partner and conduct business with the healthcare industry are also required to sign contracts to avoid HIPAA violations. These contracts are known as business associate agreements (BAA), and ITA will handle and process these contracts needed for your company’s business associates.
The Importance of Being HIPAA Compliant in Dallas, TX
In the event of a HIPAA compliance audit, it’s critical to make sure your medical or dental practice is protected by following HIPAA laws. Not only do you need to adhere to the standards set forth by the government, but your IT provider and business associates need to be compliant as well. Choosing an experienced and knowledgeable HIPAA IT support team like ITA will allow you to address any potential investigations confidently. Businesses that don’t put careful consideration into IT services and HIPAA compliance face financial penalties from the government. Being found negligent in protecting clients’ privacy will not only cause a loss of trust from your patients and customers but also result in the following penalties:
- Minimum Penalty: $10,000 per violation, with an annual maximum of $250,000 for repeat violations
- Maximum Penalty: $50,000 per violation, with an annual maximum of $1.5 million
Why Choose ITA for HIPAA Compliant IT Services?
If you operate a business that is required by law to be HIPAA compliant, avoiding messy audits and expensive fines are obvious reasons to choose ITA for IT services. But our premier support programs provide additional benefits such as:
- Improved Office Operations: From HIPAA cloud computing and storage to data and file transmissions, our detailed network setup and IT support will ensure your data and communications are protected and secure. Our support exceeds federally regulated standards for HIPAA compliance.
- Improved Patient Care: Your patients’ peace of mind is essential. They rely on you for your medical expertise and trust that you will be sensitive with their personal and private information. Following guidelines of the Department of Health and Human Services forms that trusted bond. Hiring ITA to manage your IT services gives your practice access to an expansive support network and easy access to critical information such as patient history and billing. This seamless process will offer more valuable patient interactions and improved workflow.
- Maximum Productivity: When you have professionally managed IT support, your business experiences less downtime for improved productivity. Connect coworkers no matter where they work from and keep important information protected without sacrificing quality or convenience.
- Continued Improvements: ITA protects your IT systems, and PHI stored on servers, hard drives, and patient files. These protections are a major part of our services. But we’ll also proactively ensure that your IT system and data continue operating at standards necessary for HIPAA compliance, as ePHI requirements continue to evolve with advances in technology.
IT Consulting
Our consulting services are second to none. We take a special interest in the unique functions of your business. From there, we'll help you formulate a plan for technology solutions. Our team is here for you every step of the way.
Network Security
Client privacy is of the utmost importance to law firms. Our impeccable network security measures help you to ensure your data stays safe. We'll build you a personalized security system designed just for your needs.
IT Repair and Maintenance
Even the best-laid plans can go awry. When you encounter a problem with your system, we're here to help. Our team members will assist you in addressing those annoying issues that keep you from doing business efficiently.
Cloud-Based Solutions
The cloud is an excellent tool law firms can use to better organize and store their documents. We'll help you navigate this storage solution and explain the numerous benefits, including protection against outages and auditing.
Schedule a Consultation for HIPAA Compliant IT Support
We want our customers to be as efficient and productive as possible. Our greatest asset is the ability to offer the type of comprehensive HIPAA compliant IT solutions suitable for a nationwide healthcare provider but with the personal attention of a local computer support company. When looking for an IT provider, it’s critical for any businesses that maintain personal health information, such as medical and dental offices, to thoroughly review the IT company’s ability to provide HIPAA compliant solutions. This support is essential at every level of data storage, transmission, and receiving. At ITA, we go to great lengths with our policies and procedures to guarantee that businesses are 100% HIPAA compliant. We provide the necessary protection and encryption that safeguard IT equipment and networks from potential hacks, theft, and accidental loss. Contact us to learn how we can preserve the integrity of the PHI stored on your servers and hard drives today.
If you’d like to work from home or open the opportunity to your employees, we can help you make that a reality. Our IT solutions allow you to work from anywhere on any device without compromising client privacy.
Hackers and viruses are always a risk. However, ITA’s expertise can help you avoid these costly problems.
With some help from ITA, you can ensure your system is working at maximum efficiency. This allows you to be more productive throughout the day and help more clients in the long run.
Take care of security issues before they become a major problem. Our services are proactive, not just reactive. Security issues are detected and resolved before they negatively impact your organization.
Learn More from Our Expert Team
When you need managed services in Dallas, TX, there's no better place to call that ITA. Our team has the experience and knowledge to help you create a personalized network security system that covers all your bases. Hospitals and clinics across the city choose us for IT support, and you should too. Contact us today for further information.