Identifying and Mitigating Privacy and Security Risks

Healthcare custodians are expected to identify and mitigate common risks to the privacy, confidentiality, and security of health information. By addressing these risks proactively, clinics can ensure they meet contractual obligations and regulatory requirements while protecting sensitive data.

Why Risk Management Matters

A strong risk management strategy allows clinics to safeguard the integrity, accuracy, and security of the personal health information (PHI) they handle. Meeting privacy procedures and security standards helps your clinic avoid breaches and maintain patient trust.

Before you implement or change an administrative, technical, or physical change in your healthcare practice, you must conduct a risk assessment. This thoughtful review is intended to identify any potential privacy and security risks and mitigate or prevent them from happening. Use the risk mitigation procedure in your manual and re-use as needed.

Monitoring Privacy and Security Compliance

Ongoing monitoring is essential for testing and improving your clinic’s privacy and security measures. Regular monthly audits help document adherence to reasonable safeguards that protect personally identifiable information (PII), PHI, financial, and other sensitive information.

Be sure to download the monthly monitoring forms from the manual and incorporate them into your clinic’s risk management practices.

Managing Patient Records During Transitions

When a physician moves or closes a practice, patient records must be maintained according to legal requirements. Similarly, when a new physician joins your clinic, it’s important to ensure that their previous obligations to maintain patient records have been fulfilled.

Planning for these transitions in advance helps make patient record management seamless.

Key Risk Management Policies to Review

Make sure to review the following privacy procedures and risk management strategies in your manual:

  • Privacy and Security Risks and Mitigation
  • Information Flow Diagram and Legal Authority
  • Closing or Moving a Physician Practice
  • Employee Privacy and Security Checklist
  • Password Guidelines
  • Data Quality Assurance
  • Forms Management
  • Archive and Destruction Log
  • Role-Based Access to Health Information
  • Audit Log Files

 Don’t forget to review the Privacy Breach Incident Form as part of your risk management process.

 

Next Episode: Patient Communication

In the next episode, we will cover the policies related to patient communication in the Health Information Privacy and Security Manual.

 Don’t Have Written Privacy Policies and Procedures Yet?

If your clinic hasn’t yet purchased the Health Information Privacy and Security Policies and Procedures templates from Information Managers Ltd., don’t worry! You can still follow along with this training and refer to your current clinic’s procedures.

If you don’t have written policies in place yet, now is a great time to get started. Check out our customizable templates to help your healthcare practice stay compliant and protect patient information. Learn more at https://informationmanagers.ca/policy-and-procedure-template/.