There’s no gray area with HIPAA compliance. Either the dental practice you manage is HIPAA compliant or it isn’t. If you’re not compliant, you could face HIPAA violations and fines. And who needs that when they’re already stressed and overworked?
HIPAA REQUIREMENTS FOR A DENTAL PRACTICE
Whether you’re the office manager for a solo practitioner or a dental group, if you transmit any patient health information (PHI) electronically, you need to be HIPAA compliant in order to avoid fines.
THE 3 PARTS OF HIPAA COMPLIANCE FOR DENTAL OFFICE
Technical Requirements Deal With:
How patient information should be communicated electronically
What needs to be done to protect PHI when it is at rest or in transit
How firewalls, routers, and other tech stuff need to be setup
Physical Requirements Deal With:
Securing your computers and servers
Restricting access to PHI
Securing the building
Administrative Requirements Deal With:
Creating best practice policies
Training employees to use HIPAA compliant communications
Monitoring communication activity
Ensuring HIPAA compliance by Business Associates
Being a Dental Office SuperWoman
Even as the superwoman of office managers, it can be difficult to include an all-encompassing knowledge of HIPAA compliance into your already amazingly efficient and personable role as dental office manager.
In order to avoid HIPAA violations, you’ll need:
- A security expert
- An HIPAA compliance expert
- A phenomenal IT staff
- And an administrative expert (that’s you!)
And if the dentist says no, remind him or her that there are fines that can be assessed for non-compliance — and some of those could simply kill the practice.
Offload the Tech & Physical Stuff — But Choose the Right Company
More and more dental practices turn to third-party solutions to keep the tech and physical requirements of HIPAA compliance. But, more than half have reported their third-party provider had a data breach, which affected their practices.
You sure don’t need that on your plate.
So, when you start the hunt for the help, look for vendors who:
- Provide support for their software and hardware
- Have intimate knowledge of dental practice management software
- Are HIPAA certified
- Will help you train your staff to maintain HIPAA compliance when they work
MBS Secure’s The Complete Cloud™ covers all of that — and more — and ensures the audit trail you need to comply with HIPAA’s technical requirements. As for the physical requirements, your IT staff or local IT support guy can help ensure the building and the hardware are all secure.
Then, You Can Manage HIPAA Compliance by Doing What You’re Great At
Did you notice that green column in a table above?
And you, as the superwoman dental office manager, probably already do all that. But, if you need a refresher, or have some questions, take a look at the American Dental Association’s FAQs about HIPAA. You’ll find:
- When training is needed for your office staff
- What forms you need to use for patient signatures
- How to leave a HIPAA compliant voicemail
- And more!
HIPAA Compliance for Dental Offices is Easy with The Complete Cloud™
“HIPAA compliance for dentists is not a one-off project,” according to the HIPAA Journal. And the folks at MBS Secure are well aware of that. Through their people, technology, process, and The Complete Cloud™, you can rest easy:
You’ve got the administrative requirements well in hand.
That IT guy you like has secured your hardware.
And, MBS Secure has your back with the tech requirements.
Give us a call at 877-627-0787 and make your work life a lot easier.