If you work in a healthcare establishment (hospital, emergency care center, medical office, laboratory, or other associated healthcare business), you are aware of the rampant data breach issues that plague this industry. Hence, it is no surprise that healthcare businesses have to comply with several state and federal laws that aim to protect patient privacy. From collecting and maintaining patient information, to securely destroying physical and electronic records, these regulations define a host of prescriptive measures to safeguard the patient’s medical information. 

At Crown Information Management, we specialize in industry-specific solutions for maintenance and disposal of physical and digital records. Our experienced team is well-versed with the legal requirements involved with collection, preservation and destruction of Protected Health Information (PHI) as defined in:

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 
• Other state or federal legislation applicable to healthcare service providers

Preserve, Protect and Safely Destroy Medical Records

Before we discuss safe storage and destruction of medical records, here’s a glimpse into the magnitude of the US healthcare industry’s data breach problems.

• Medical record breaches impact approximately one in every four Americans. Fifteen million patient records were breached during 503 healthcare data breaches in 2018, nearly triple the amount of reported incidents from the previous year, according to the Protenus 2019 Breach Barometer.
• 50% of the breach victims eventually face medical identity theft, which contributes to out-of-pocket expenses of $2,500 on average. 
• A study on the cost of data breach suggests that the healthcare industry has the highest average breach resolution cost of $408 per record. The figure includes cost of discovery and response to the breach as well as expenses involving investigations, audits, legal fees, customer retention, etc. 

Whether it is a system glitch, an orchestrated cyberattack, a malicious insider hack, or human error, for any lapse or negligence in protecting patient information, you may have to pay a hefty price. Essentially, without systematic record maintenance and disposal processes, your hospital, professional practice, or healthcare business may end up spending thousands of dollars in identifying and resolving data breaches. Moreover, you may face regulatory action and risk losing your clients and reputation. 

Partner with a Professional Shredding Company for Safe Disposal of Medical Records

For safe disposal of physical and digital medical records, hire the services of a SOC1 Level 2 Report, NAID AAA and PCI Certified company, such as Crown Information Management. Our certified professionals will help you in systematic destruction of documents and medical files. We also offer shredding services for hard drives, media drives, digital tapes and X-rays.  

Protect patient privacy and remain compliant with record retention and disposal norms applicable to healthcare businesses. Call Crown Information Management at 800-979-9545 or contact us online for a free estimate.