Maintain a Culture of Compliance: February

Beware Phishing Attempts

Email security is a prevalent issue in the current climate.  Phishing attacks are emails that are sent out to induce the user into clicking on a URL that leads to a landing page that appears almost identical to a well-known website, such as a banking site.  This can cause you to download a virus to your computer, bring you to a site that will install a virus on your computer or can take you to a landing page  Any of these events will compromise the security of your computer and the identity of the person clicking on the link.  Some things that can identify a phishing attempt include:

• - Check the from address.  Many times the email address looks familiar but for a single typo.  This can indicate it is not from that company or person.  If you are unsure if this was an official email, call the sender using the number you have.  Do not use the phone number listed in the email.
• - You can hover your mouse over a link to see where it will direct you before clicking on it.  If the address does not match up to the site you are intending on visiting, do not click on the link.
• - If you receive an email from someone who you have not spoken to recently or were not expecting an email from, contact that person to confirm that they meant to send you that email.  If it was their email address but they did not send it, that means their email was hacked and you have helped them to take steps to recover their email.

If you ever determine an email that you received was a phishing attempt, you should inform your IT director immediately so that they can take steps to protect your network from further attacks.  In addition, you should share this information with the rest of your office so that no one falls prey to phishing attempts.

Battery Backups on Computers

Power outages happen.  It is not something we can control.  However, we can control when we need to turn off our computers.  Should your office lose power, your computer will shut down in the middle of whatever file you were in causing you to lose your work or your data being corrupted. A battery backup will keep the computer running so that you can save your work and safely shut down the computer.  This can affect your office even if your data is stored in the cloud.  To prevent the data corruption, it is best to have all your computers plugged into a battery backup. (Laptops and tablets have internal batteries and do not need to be plugged into a battery backup.) This will allow you sufficient time to grab a cup of coffee, sit back, finish your notes and turn off the computer secure in the knowledge that your data’s integrity has been preserved.

Proper destruction of printers/copiers/fax machines

We know that there is patient information in our computers, in our software, but have you ever considered the patient information that is saved on your copiers, printers or fax machines.  With the advent of technology, these devices now have useful features that store copies of the papers and documents so that you can re-print or re-fax them.  You can check the specifications on your device to see if it has internal memory or if it saves pages in its memory.  If it does, or if you are unsure, you should be tracking this piece of hardware.  When it comes time to replace it, or it stops working you have to dispose of this device properly.  You can wipe it with Department of Defense Grade Software but then you are taking on the full responsibility of completing the wipe properly.  It is best to use a R2 certified electronics recycling vendor.  Make sure that you get a BAA with this vendor before using their services and a certificate that they have completed the wipe.

Have questions about what your office should be doing to be HIPAA compliant, call us at (631) 403 6687 or email info@tldsystems.com