Do you know who your privacy and security officers are? Executives, have you named these individuals? Associates and colleagues, do you know who your Privacy Officer and Information Security Officer are? To comply with the HIPAA Security Final Rule, each Covered Entity and Business Associate must identify a “security official” [...]

Transporting Medical Records Occasionally, medical and other sensitive records must be transported from one location to another, such as when moving to a new office, closing a location, etc. Appropriate steps must be taken to safeguard these records, whether electronic or paper. Medical records should never be taken from secure [...]

Dangers of Instant Messaging Instant Messaging (IM) is inherently insecure. IM providers maintain and control user messages, logs and connection information on their servers. Although providers offer some degree of encryption, there have been instances of IM user logs being captured and used for unethical or criminal purposes. IM is [...]

Use of Public Wireless Access Points The risk is especially high at coffee shops, hotels, airports and other places with a high turnover of laptop users. Many malicious individuals set up laptops to act as wireless access points with legitimate-sounding names such as “T-Mobile”, “Free Wireless Access”, or “Hilton” etc. [...]

Email Tips The company-provided email is intended for business use. State the information in emails in a professional manner. Each email represents. Use spell-check and grammar-check. Prepare and send email responsibly; be aware of the reader’s perception and interpretation. Double check the accuracy of the intended recipient’s email address. When [...]