With healthcare costs constantly on the rise, many hospital systems are strategizing on ways to provide treatment to patients in their own homes. One study from the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine states that only about 11% of ER visits result in admission and about 65% of all visits are not considered medical emergencies at all. These statistics suggest that many patients may be diagnosed and treated at home, saving the hospital and the patient money in the process. Additionally, this type of system may prevent congestion and long wait times at ERs, resulting in improved patient care and a more responsive hospital system.
As hospitals attempt to implement more home healthcare programs, the protection methods used in transporting and maintaining the Electronic Health Records (EHR) information could not be more important. Outside of the networked security protocols of a hospital system, home healthcare personnel have to follow the same industry-wide HIPAA standards. This would ensure patient data is transported safely without unauthorized access. Utilizing encrypted data storage devices is the best method for traveling home healthcare personnel.
What is Home Healthcare?
For some, home healthcare is more than just avoiding the ER, but a way to continue living in the comfort of home while healing from an injury, sickness, or surgery. In many cases, patients face difficulties attempting to travel to doctor appointments and home healthcare provides a convenient service. Depending on the severity of a patient’s condition, they can be monitored less frequently without the need for an extended hospital stay. Other home health services may include monitoring and recording vitals, or helping a patient with nutrition. These healthcare professionals also would communicate regularly with a patient, their doctor, or anyone else that provides a form of care.
More than Just Convenient
Healthcare providers play an important role in our society and with all the advancements in technology, we count on them to protect our health as well as our health records. When traveling from place to place to provide patient care, it is important that healthcare personnel not only have access to medical records but are able to modify them on the spot. This requires transferring our most sensitive information around in something secure, yet portable. Though data storage devices, such as USBs, may all look the same — they are not all created equal.
The SecureDrive hardware encrypted data storage devices offer HIPAA-compliant security that ensures a patient’s data and their rights to privacy are protected. Available as portable external hard drives or USBs, these devices can safeguard and store a patient’s entire medical records, including personal data, current medications, test results, and more. This ensures that only medical professionals have access to the information needed to treat a patient and can safely transport it outside of the hospital walls.
Medical Records will Travel
Home healthcare is becoming more popular and with the help of technological advancements, is more cost-effective and manageable for healthcare facilities. With SecureDrives and SecureUSBs, healthcare facilities can manage drive access, set geo-fencing and time-fencing restrictions, and even remotely wipe a device that is lost or stolen. As FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Validated products, SecureDrives and SecureUSBs ensure data remains completely secure at rest or in transit.
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