Question

List three areas in health care settings where you would expect to see information security.

Answer 1

1) Master Patient Index (MPI)

A master patient index connects separate patient records across databases. The index has a record for each patient that is registered at a healthcare organization and indexes all other records for that patient. MPIs are used to reduce duplicate patient records and inaccurate patient information that can lead to claim denials.

2) Patient Portals

Patient portals allow patients to access their personal health data such as appointment information, medications and lab results over an internet connection. Some patient portals allow active communication with their physicians, prescription refill requests, and the ability to schedule appointments

3) Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)

Also known as telehealth, remote patient monitoring allows medical sensors to send patient data to healthcare professionals. It frequently monitors blood glucose levels and blood pressure for patients with chronic conditions. The data is used to detect medical events that require intervention and can possibly become part of a larger population health study.

4) Clinical Decision Support (CDS)

Clinical decision support systems analyze data from various clinical and administrative systems to help healthcare providers make clinical decisions. The data can help prepare diagnoses or predict medical events — such as drug interactions. These tools filter data and information to help clinicians care for individual patients.

BEST PRACTICES FOR HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Security is the primary health information system concern. All networks are vulnerable, but healthcare providers are desirable targets for cybercriminals. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulates the protection of individual healthcare information. To help keep systems secure companies should:

• Train employees
• Encrypt data
• Back up data
• Monitor usage
• Buy insurance
• Access vendor vulnerability
• Utilize multifactor authentication