Assessing HIPAA Risk, the Right Way

 

All dental practices must have HIPAA security programs in place, and for good reason. Electronic protected health information (ePHI) contains all the information criminals need to steal patients’ identities. Plus, practices that are negligent with ePHI are at risk for thousands or even millions of dollars in fines.

Conducting a thorough HIPAA risk assessment will increase dental practice security and keep your data safe. It also reduces the risk of costly legal action.

But how can practices ensure assessments are effective? How can you ensure you identify all security vulnerabilities and understand exactly how to safeguard your practice?

Appetite for Simplification

Madison Evers, Senior Practice Solutions Consultant for Rectangle Health, discussed HIPAA compliance on the Modern Practice Podcast.

“Ninety percent of cyber breaches occur by employee error, and one of the most common vulnerabilities targeted by cybercriminals is weak credentials. So, if a hacker has your employees’ or the providers’ or the business owners’ credentials, then they have an open door to your entire system.”

Yet, practices are busy managing all the aspects of delivering quality care.

As such, Evers also explained that practices have an “appetite for simplification.” They want to ensure all employees, from clinicians to front desk staff, have easy access to educational resources. That way, everyone plays an important role in protecting patient data and avoiding security breaches.

“Offering staff relevant, ongoing training is the most important way to simplify HIPAA compliance for staff,” said Evers.

National regulations require organizations to administer annual training for workers. Employees must attest that they have understood each policy and procedure related to their organization. As a result, they understand how critical it is that they do their part to protect patient information and the practice.

Most HIPAA violations are the result of human error, not maliciousness.

“With the proper training, we can avoid many of these risks by just telling staff the right ways to communicate within the practice,” Evers said.

However, training is just the beginning. Practices must also perform annual HIPAA Risk Assessments, as required by the Department of Health and Human Services. These help identify any gaps and deficiencies in their current compliance programs.

Keys to an Effective Risk Assessment

Doing a HIPAA Risk Assessment (the right way), however, involves more than simply going through a checklist every year.

Practices must take action on their key areas of vulnerability to protect their practice. In most cases, they need comprehensive support to make smart choices about security policies and use their time efficiently for compliance tasks.

A comprehensive approach to compliance and security should allow your dental practice to determine where its most pressing gaps exist and how to address them.

Measurement

The HIPAA Risk Assessment measures your current risk level by identifying security risks. It looks at your practice’s systems, processes, and infrastructure.

This comprehensive and personalized assessment enables the practice to prioritize areas for improvement. The assessment should also ensure that the practice’s policies, procedures, and security measures align with HIPAA requirements, protecting patient confidentiality.

Education

Your HIPAA Risk Assessment should be the primary source for educating employees on HIPAA compliance. It should have real-time access to tips, resources, and immediate feedback. That way, employees can get a better sense of what knowledge they’re lacking and how they can improve.

Action

Lastly, a HIPAA Risk Assessment should offer visuals, data, and strategies to address your compliance vulnerabilities. It should also document any new workflows to remediate identified gaps.

Time to Get Started

For dental offices, HIPAA compliance needs to be a top priority. Employee training and security standards are essential to protect patients’ personal and financial lives —and the practice’s viability.

Start a thorough HIPPA compliance gap assessment now to meet your annual requirement and protect your practice.