Personal Health Information (PHI) is the core of the relationship between patient and healthcare provider. Whether you are a physician, a dental surgeon or an eye doctor, the privacy of data is a matter of credibility, compliance and confidentiality.
The public's perception of your work and professional practice depends on evidence of due care towards patients and their most valuable assets: identity and information.
In Canada, healthcare professionals are legally responsible for the protection of the personal health information (PHI) they handle as part of the Circle of Care.
When patients entrust their privacy to a healthcare provide in confidence, the bond of trust is directly dependent on the ability to secure the PHI.
As a healthcare professional, your responsibility towards patients extends to their most valuable intangible assets: the protection of health data. What are the major types of information that are often overlooked and fall victim to data privacy breaches?
The vast amount of historical health information contained in a client file makes it valuable to criminals and damaging to healthcare providers.
The storage, protection and secure disposal of medical test results, details of procedures, X-rays and other PHI represent extremely sensitive data.
Whether exposed as hardcopy files or displayed on an unprotected computer screen, health information compromises are serious privacy breaches.
Estimated millions of breached records each year
Average loss amount (in $US millions) per clinic per cyber attack
Percent of health data breaches due to unauthorized access
Health data is worth this many times more than credit card info
At the core of every customer and patient relationship is trust. Trust earned by demonstrating sound practices, leveraging vetted technology, relying on certified expertise, sharing high quality information and treating personal information with the due care it deserves. The confidentiality and privacy applied to all aspects of your healthcare practice make the biggest difference in patient satisfaction, compliance with privacy law and the growth prospects of the business. Here are the areas that stand to benefit from adopting sound data protection practices.
The reception area is often a high pressure environment where sensitive information can be at risk of unauthorized access, disclosure and even damage.
People, process and technology converge within the busy reception area, where administrative privacy, protective measures, physical separation and above all staff training make the biggest difference.
The care exhibited in patient relationships is illustrated in the way personal health information (PHI) is protected both in person and on health information systems (HIS).
Engage with our privacy experts to learn how small changes make a large difference in the perception and reality of privacy protection. From clearing computer screens between patients to ensuring speech privacy with proper in-wall insulation, your Managed Privacy Canada Privacy Risk Advisor is ready to assist, starting with a Privacy Review of your facilities.
Dedication to patient safety and confidentiality should be obvious the moment a patient walks in, with particular care paid do how systems are installed and information is exchanged.
The Circle of Care is a practical, but abstract concept that is left for healthcare professionals to interpret and implement. From screen privacy filters to the way medical systems are accessed using unique accounts, the focus remains on the protection of Personal Health Information (PHI). Let your Privacy Risk Advisor help you identify trouble spots and move forward with an office plan to protect all data.
Some medical waiting rooms feel like busy barber shops, rather than the sanctuaries they should be, where information privacy is protected and confidentiality is embraced.
The design of a waiting room is central to any healthcare facility where patient privacy must be preserved to ensure the safety of all visitors and staff. From noise absorbing materials to secure access methods, your Privacy Risk Advisor will help to select the ideal solution to optimize patient comfort and peace of mind.
Often overlooked but by far the most sensitive area of any healthcare facility because restrooms are a surveillance-free area where absolute privacy and safety must reign.
The integrity of any restroom is paramount, but healthcare facilities have the added challenge of ensuring the privacy of the premises prevents unauthorized access, the installation of recording mechanisms, sound proofing and the consistent enforcement of privacy policies in effect everywhere else within the office.
We Support Health Information Protection Authorities
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