The Datamax Thinking Blog

Data backup is (or should be) a part of every businesses IT strategy. Add in the fact, that data backup is a final line of defense against ransomware, and you're crazy if you don't have an online backup strategy.

Cyber attacks on small businesses is BIG BUSINESS for cybercriminals. That’s because they know that you may not have the money (or the muscle) to secure your small business’s network. Even worse is the fact that there is little or no recourse for the small business owner who falls prey to a ransomware attack. Many simply pony up the money just to get their critical information back.

HIPAA compliance isn't optional. The ideas in the resources below will help you meet your compliance obligations.

All of you in the healthcare industry know better than I how important HIPAA compliance is. The regulation ensures patient confidentiality and compliance ensures you avoid penalties, fines, and public embarrassment.

Compliance with any regulation is a tedious, detail-oriented task in which the smallest mistake can land you in big trouble.

Don't make compliance harder than it has to be.

If you need to print confidential documents securely, pull printing can be your answer.

How often have you walked past a copier or printer's output tray and cringed to notice a confidential document sitting in plain view there?

When your business deals daily with documents that contain confidential or protected personal information (like law offices and medical professionals who need to be HIPAA compliant), you need a way to keep the documents that you need to print secure. Pull printing (often called follow me printing or secure print release) is one way to ensure that only the right people have access to those documents. 

You have to include your copier in your HIPAA-compliance planning. Biometrics and HID cards can be used to reduce risk of information going astray.

Twenty years have passed since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) became federal law. By now, you are probably familiar with HIPAA's requirements to protect your patients' health information and have implemented various security measures to keep that data private. But there's one area you might have overlooked in your risk analysis: the copy machine. Learn about the possible security risks posed by your office copier and ways to minimize those risks.

You can use a cloud service AND remain HIPAA compliant.

You have a lot of your mind when you roll into work. You're at least partly responsible for the paperwork in your medical practice – patients' personal information, records, and other documents need to be stored safely and securely. To make your life (and all that paperwork) easier, you'd love to take advantage of the latest technology. However, HIPAA regulations make you think twice before considering cost-effective solutions such as those using the cloud.

HIPAA compliance is a must for every healthcare provider. Here are the seven essential things that must be covered.

While you may think that the actual physicians and licensed medical practitioners are responsible for HIPAA compliance, office managers must also guard confidential medical information. Not only must office managers make sure that protected health information isn't accidentally disclosed, but they must also work to protect it from theft.

If someone is selling you a HIPAA-compliant copier; they're lying to you.

You can include your multifunction copiers in your HIPAA compliance efforts (and you must!), but there is no such thing as an out-of-the-box, HIPAA-compliant copier. 

I've seen a few unscrupulous dealerships say that they sell compliant copiers. That's misleading, as it gives the impression that your compliance challenges can be met with a simple purchase. It's the policies and procedures your office must develop and follow when it comes to patient information – including the information that passes through your copiers – that will make you HIPAA-compliant.

The value to every business of paper-free processes in a single chart.

Patient records need to easily accessible and secure for all businesses in the healthcare industry. From the largest hospital to the smallest single physician office; doctors, nurses, and everyone involved in a patient's care needs quick access to their information.

At the same time, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economical and Clinical Health) Act are regulatory guidelines that dictate the protection of patient information.

Paper is not the fastest way to share information; nor is it inherently secure (paper records can be lost/misplaced, stolen, or even copied to use in identity theft).

Healthcare providers need to know that protected health information could be stored in their copiers – and accessible to hacking.

Digital copiers are essential components of modern doctors' offices. They enable you to improve your communication, increase your productivity and save money. Despite these benefits, copiers are a potential source of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) privacy and security risks.

What we also hear is that not everyone is entirely clear on the ramifications of HIPAA non-compliance. 

In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) established significant requirements to safeguard the health information of patients.  These requirements dictate the when, how, and with whom as it relates to the sharing of Protected Health Information (PHI).

Based on what we see and hear in the Document Management and Document Workflow arena, Healthcare Providers are quite focused on the application of HIPAA guidelines within their practices and clinics today.