Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal • March 2, 2015 www.wbjournal.com FOCUS Health care Data security is a never-ending battle for hospitals, other health care providers Electronic health records systems are increasingly sophisticated, but still a work in progress BY SAM BONACCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer BY CAROL MCDONALD Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer P rivacy has been an obligation of the medical profession dat- ing back to the ancient Greeks and the Hippocratic Oath. However, safeguarding patient information has transformed alongside an industry that increasingly relies on technology in every area — including storing and accessing medical files. The medical industry must balance ease of access to vital patient information and maintenance of patient data security as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. Similar to those in other industries, these reg- ulations guide hospitals and health providers in man- aging their security, but provides a certain level of interpretation and flexibility that allow them to respond to ever-changing challenges. "What is at the forefront will come and go but people want to be able to sit down with a doctor, social worker or psychologist and tell them things and feel they will be protected, and I think the (professionals) understand that," said David Szabo, a partner at law firm Locke Lord Edwards who works with hospitals around data security. Safeguarding stored electronic medical records that don't need to be >> Continued on Page 17 T he kindly physician scrawling notes inside a paper folder with your name on it evokes an image from a simpler time. The "kindly" part may be alive and well, but paper and pen are being replaced by keyboards and clicks. Electronic health records, or EHRs, have rolled out in force over the last sev- eral years. Hundreds of companies offer software, and government has provided incentives and mandates for medical offices to modernize. Many patients are logging on to perform tasks that once took a phone call or visit: requesting appointments and pre- scription refills, for instance, or viewing lab results with user-friendly fea- tures such as graphs of past data and red flags signaling follow-up. In a sense, EHRs — instead of bulging paper files — are a no- brainer in this technological era. They allow the many facets of patient-care information to be centralized, stored and shared among professionals as needed. Though still evolving, EHRs offer a long list of positives. Government and industry are pushing toward a "universal" system, meaning a patient could walk into just about any health care facility in the country with their health history virtually follow- ing them. Their data — complete and up to date — could be accessed rapidly by caregivers, who would contribute their findings and actions to the record. But achieving that ideal while keeping data secure and accurate is a complicated under- >> Continued on Page 14 Th e ch a l l en g e s o f te ch n o l o g y

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