Computer Security Solutions for Healthcare
Secure Access to
Protected Health Information
The accelerating volume and availability of electronic health information has made Healthcare providers and insurers one of the most closely watched industries with regard to privacy and security. The profession requires it, and Federal regulations demand it. Workstation security is an important component of the HIPAA security rule, and includes loss prevention strategies to restrict access to EPHI (electronic protected health information).
Healthcare Security Experts
“Physical security has long been recognized as a critical component of any comprehensive information security program. Accordingly, it is given substantial weight in the HIPAA Security Rule. From small, rural physician practices to large, urban hospitals or insurers, good physical security is essential for protecting information and equipment.”
John C. McKenney, CIPP, SEC Associates, Inc
Put PC Guardian's extensive experience to work for you in protecting your workstations and other valuable IT assets. We work with some of the largest healthcare organizations in North America to secure computers and peripherals in clinical and administrative settings. Our specialized solutions provide a range of options to solve your security issues, or we can quickly customize a solution to address unique situations.
View a partial list of our Healthcare customers
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
- Seton Family of Hospitals
- Providence Health System
- Yavapai Regional Medical Center
- Harris County Hospital
- Palomar Pomerado Health
- The Mayo Clinic
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital
- Rosemont Memorial Hospital
- Stanford Hospitals and Clinics
- Sutter Health
- University of California, San Francisco
- Baylor Healthcare System
- Healthways
- Kaiser Permanente
- Cook Children's Medical Center
- Darnall Army Community Hospital
- East Jefferson General Hospital
- Kingwood Medical Center
- Lancaster Health Pavilion
- Lenox Hill Hospital
- Loyola University Medical Center
- Memorial Hospital
- Methodist Healthcare System
- Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Mount Camel Hospital
- National Institute of Health
- North Shore Health System
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital
- St. Joseph Medical Center
- Seton Medical Center
- Tampa General Hospital
- Washington Hospital
- OSF/St. Francis Healthcare System
Data Points on Federal Requirements and Security Policies
- Overview of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Security Standard
- HIPAA is designed to protect confidential healthcare information through improved security standards and federal privacy legislation. The final rule adopting HIPAA standards for security, published in 2003, specifies a series of administrative, technical, and physical security procedures for covered entities to use to assure the confidentiality of electronic protected health information. (Source: cms.hhs.gov)
- Are you a HIPAA covered entity?
- A HIPAA covered entity includes the following types of organizations:
- A health care provider that conducts certain transactions in electronic form
- A health care clearinghouse
- A health plan
An entity that is one or more of these types of entities is referred to as a "covered entity" in the Administrative Simplification regulations. (Source: cms.hhs.gov)
- NIST Resource Guide for Implementing the HIPAA Security Rule
- PC Guardian's solutions fall under HIPAA Security Rule, section 164.310 “Workstation Security”. The HIPAA Standard: Implement physical safeguards for all workstations that access electronic protected health information, to restrict access to authorized users”.(See the physical safeguards rules on Pages 38-48)
- Health Information Technology
- The AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) has developed tools to help health care organizations plan for, implement and evaluate health information technology. These tools describe and recommend strategies for addressing some of the common challenges organizations encounter when working with health IT systems.
- Defining Key Health Information Technology Terms
- See the National Alliance for Health Information Technology's report on "Defining Key Health Information Technology Terms", April, 2008
- Sample Workstation Security Policy
- The SANS Institute, a software and network security research and training organization, has developed a sample "Workstation Security Policy" specifically written to meet the HIPAA Security Standard
The Latest Computer Theft and Data Breach Statistics
The latest reports indicate computer theft and data breaches are on the rise
- In 2007, 163 million records were breached, a 250% increase over 2006 (46 million).
- From 2005 to 2007, stolen or lost computers was the number one reason for data breaches accounting for 31% of all breached records; followed by hackers at 22%.
- In 2007, 13% of all data breaches occurred in the medical field, up 116% over 2005.
- 24% of Healthcare IT professionals reported a security breach in the last 12 months. The top concern reported by 51% of survey respondents was internal data breaches.
Sources: ¹²³ Attrition.org & Tizor, a data auditing firm; 42008 HIMSS Leadership Survey
PC Guardian Security Solutions
Our solutions help covered entities address HIPAA security rule 164.310 by "implementing physical safeguards for all workstations that access EPHI to restrict access to authorized users."
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