SELECTSHRED | MOBILE SHREDDING COMPANY SERVICING PALM BEACH AND THE TREASURE COAST
SELECTSHRED-MEDICAL FACILITIES SHOULD THINK TWICE ABOUT DISCARDING WHOLE OR SHREDDED MEDICAL RECORDS IN TRASH BINS OR RECYCLE BINS
It is hard to believe with all the media attention and heightened awareness that medical facilities would still put patient information in whole or shredded form in the trash or recycle bin where it can be seen and accessed by the wrong hands. Just because you have been doing it that way for many years (shredding in-house or recycling) and nothing bad has happened does not mean it won’t happen. A medical office manager said that she did not believe in dumpster divers because who would have that much time on their hands, but some people do have the time if they think the rewards will be great enough. Some medical personnel think they are doing a good deed to have a friend, family member, or student shred patient confidential information but the risks are too great for your facility if an information security breach were ever alleged and you do not have documentation on record such as a certificate of destruction. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) can impose penalties of $100 per violation and up to an annual maximum of $1.5 million. Facilities are more likely to face fines and penalties if a HIPAA compliant program is not in place. The routine use of a NAID AAA certified on-site shredding company to destroy patients’ confidential information is an added layer of HIPAA compliance.
Unfortunately, many small medical offices, including dentists’ offices, believe they are too small to use a shredding service and that the office shredder will suffice. Due to the awareness of identity theft, concerned citizens are reporting directly to law enforcement whenever they see medical records in the trash.
On the other hand, the criminal-minded sees the opportunity that can come from having access to names, addresses, birthdates, diagnoses, and social security numbers. A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report on medical identity theft stated that a thief may use patient names or health insurance numbers to see a doctor, get prescription drugs, file claims with insurance providers, or get other care. The FTC also said that if the thief’s health information is mixed with a patient’s information, the patient’s treatment, insurance and payment records, and credit report may be affected.
For all the various types of medical facilities from, Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Rio, Hobe Sound, Port Salerno, Sewall’s Point, Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Jupiter Island, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens, remember that no facility is too small to use a third party vendor to destroy its confidential documents because the risks are too great not to do so.
Richard & Gloria Kinkead
SelectShred, Inc.
T: (772) 463-3166