The power of digital technology has in many ways made life easier for medical offices and radiology professionals. Yet, digital medical information comes with added potential risks.
There needs to be appropriate safety and security measures in place in order to protect that medical information, whether from outside threats, or unforeseen mishaps. Let’s look at 3 foolproof ways to properly safeguard medical information.
1. Disaster Recovery
Consider disaster recovery to be the insurance of digital medical information. It might seem like it’s not necessary, but when something unforeseen does happen, it will be a huge relief to have a plan in place, and even more of a disaster not to.
Proper digital disaster recovery means having a plan for that day you hope will never come. That plan doesn’t start when the disaster happens; it’s an ongoing part of your medical office and must be integrated properly into data and information systems so it can be utilized when needed.
2. Redundant and Proper Backups
An essential component of a strong disaster recovery plan is data backups. Backups are the means to the end of disaster recovery. In other words, without a backup, that disaster recovery plan isn’t going to work.
For ultimate security, there should be redundancy here, which means both on-site and off-site backups. Multiple copies ensure there’s always a solution in place, whether that disaster was a fire or flood in the office that physically ruined data systems, or an outside threat to network security.
Keep in mind that while redundant backups are a wonderful thing, those backups need to be regularly tested. Is the backup working properly, backing up to completion, scheduled appropriately, and backing up the right information? If not, there could be 10 copies of the same thing and your plan won’t do a thing to help.
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3. Proper Overall IT Network Security
As mentioned, there are both physical threats as well as digital ones for medical information. For the latter, there needs to be strong overall IT network security. This can be achieved through having the proper firewalls in place, as well as antivirus systems and gateway protections.
All of these need to be tested, monitored, and kept up to date against the latest threats. Your network security team should also offer routine penetration testing to ensure there are no unforeseen weaknesses or loopholes with the system.
In addition to cutting-edge x-ray equipment for radiologists, Medlink Imaging provides a range of services and solutions. This includes the robust capabilities of DICOMesh Synchronized Backup and Recovery system. For more information, call 800.456.7800 (Option #2), or click here to connect with a dealer near you.