In the field of Medical Assisting we talk a lot about HIPAA.  Many call it “the privacy act” or “security rule”.  Its true intention is the portability of the insurance coverage in order to provide continuity of coverage for workers and their families when they lose or change jobs.

The law covers several items related to safety and security of a patient’s information – things like responsibilities, verification, validation and training, amongst others.

One area that is worth  mentioning is Safeguards; this is the ensuring that confidential information remains secure.

All entities must have in place appropriate safeguards to ensure the protection of a person’s confidential information.  These security measures as described by HIPAA include administrative, technical and physical safeguards.  And many times we assume these are taking place. But do we really focus and protect our patient’s information on a continual basis?

Administrative safeguards require us to verify a patient and or their due representative.

Do we have signatures on file? Do we verify these every time we’re asked to provide information to persons other than the patient? A good idea would be to include in the patient’s record a photocopy of their identification; this ID should be state issued.

Technical safeguards require us to use user names and passwords on computers containing patient information.

Do you always log-out when you walk away from your computer? Remember, only persons who need to should be seeing a patient’s information.  Also remember to perform hardware backups in order to not only protect the information, but also to have it available in the event of a system malfunction.

Physical safeguards require us to keep physical records in a locked (preferably fireproof) area and are designated for the storage of paper records.

To ensure their security, you should have to go through two locks to get to the records.

Remember that safeguarding information is important in the daily operations of every healthcare facility.

Be Safe, Be Aware

Medical Administrative Assisting Blog is sponsored by Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA), a leading healthcare career school. UMA has campus locations in Tampa and Clearwater, Florida, as well as a national online program. For more information about UMA please visit our website atwww.ultimatemedical.edu

According to Randall S. Hansen, founder of QuintCareers, cold calling potential employers can be a highly effective way to discover unadvertised jobs and get interviews with employers. “Cold calling, or uninvited job-hunting, is a proven method of finding employment,” writes Hansen on his blog. “When you consider that four-fifths of the job market is `closed,’ meaning you can’t find out about available job openings unless you dig for them – prospect for them – this method of job-hunting takes on great importance.”

From mistress_f on Flickr

Hansen recommends using cold-calling as one part of this job-hunting strategy:

First, identify potential employers in your area.

Second, call those employers and ask the person who answers the phone for the names of managers who hire people for the kind of job you are seeking.

Third, send a strong cover letter and resume to each of those hiring managers.

Fourth, call those managers to ask for an informational interview – not a job interview. In an informational interview, you ask general questions about gaining an entrée into the profession or about other potential employers in the area. Hanson explains, “Even if the majority of them say there are no current openings, interviewing with them gives you the opportunity to dazzle them – and then ask for referrals to other employers who might have job openings available.”

Medical Administrative Assisting Blog is sponsored by Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA), a leading healthcare career school. UMA has campus locations in Tampa and Clearwater, Florida, as well as a national online program. For more information about UMA please visit our website at www.ultimatemedical.edu

Are you currently working or planning to work from home? Are you concerned about the huge amounts of data that are piling up on your home computer? Here are a few of the best ways to backup your work:

Photo by shanghai daddy on Flickr

Mozy – This is an online backup service that takes your data and stores it somewhere “off-site”. Off-site means that the data is backed up somewhere away from your computer. The benefit of this is that no matter what happens to your electronics or your living space (theft, fire, etc), your data is still protected. Mozy offers 2 GB of storage for free, which is usually sufficient for your word documents and other essential files. There is also an unlimited service that costs $4.95 per month.

Other online storage services to consider: Carbonite, VaultLogix, Data Deposit Box

CrashPlan – Crashplan is a service that backs up all of your data to another personal computer. The service is free and is another great option to get your data off-site. You can backup your data to any computer as long as they agree to accept it. As the website says, “Back up to as many destinations as you want: in your house, across town or across the country!”

External Hard-Drives – These serve as extensions of your computer’s hard drive and are available in a variety of sizes and prices, depending on how much data you need to backup. Depending on the speed of your computer, and the size of your hard drive, backing up your data could be a time consuming process. Also, if you lose the hard drive – which can be as small as a wallet – all your data will be gone. Check out Deal News for weekly specials on external hard-drives.

CD/DVD – This is the cheapest available option, and since most PCs are now equipped with CD burners, there are few obstacles in getting started. Since this is the cheapest option, however, there are some concerns; it can take considerable time and discs to backup large drives, and CDs can be easily scratched and ruined without proper caution. If you only need to backup a little bit of crucial data, and are confident in your care for the discs, then CD/DVD may be your best option for data backup.

Do you have any advice on the best data backup options? Please leave us a comment and let us know what has worked for you!

Medical Administrative Assisting Blog is sponsored by Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA), a leading healthcare career school. UMA has campus locations in Tampa and Clearwater, Florida, as well as a national online program.  For more information about UMA please visit our website atwww.ultimatemedical.edu