When it comes to your medical practice, what kinds of HIPAA-compliant managed IT services are best for protecting your patients’ medical records and information?
Maybe you’re not too familiar with this, and that’s okay! Many businesses aren’t aware of the benefits of using managed IT services to help increase HIPAA compliance at their offices.
For starters, let’s go over what managed IT services are.
Managed IT Services: What's the 411?
Managed IT services are services that a Managed Service Provider (MSP) or a third-party technology provider offers businesses. Some of the services include:
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Remote monitoring: Remote monitoring allows experts to focus and identify potential issues, avoiding complications from slow servers, preventing security breaches, managing data spikes, and eliminating server or application crashes.
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Technical support: A Technical support team is a business, department, provider, or staff member who offers help managing computer technology. Technical support can take many forms, including desktop, application, mobile, networking, hosting, website, and IT security. In many businesses, technical support is used as a reference, resource, or training tool to support staff or customers.
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Training: Managed IT services assist and train your employees on best practices regarding the technology and systems used daily. The training you receive from managed IT experts helps overcome specific IT issues and enables you to achieve your business goals.
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Security standards: As technology quickly emerges and evolves, so do security standards. Since these standards are constantly changing, make sure you stay informed on the following measures:
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New attacks
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Software updates
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Security methods
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The need to proactively monitor networks
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Deciding how and when to encrypt data
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Changing passwords and access requirements
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Virus protection: Uploaded files are immediately scanned for contents that can compromise your business, preventing the potential for automated distribution of infected files. A great managed IT services company’s virus protection detects trojans, viruses, malware, and other malicious threats. With minor customization, you can expand your antivirus protection with external virus scanners to scan files on external storage.
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Data backup & recovery: There's a simple answer to the problem of losing data: having a data backup and disaster recovery strategy. Companies, especially smaller ones, make the same mistakes about backing up data: they don’t do it! Managed IT services work with you to develop a data backup and recovery strategy specific to your business goals.
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Business continuity: Business continuity is the ability to continuously deliver services and products at a minimal service level after a business disruption, such as a natural or man-made “disaster.” Your business is at serious risk without an adequate response or business continuity plan.
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Technology road mapping & planning: Technology road mapping is detailed reporting, allowing you to see the applications taking up most of your network resources. With the help of an IT outsourcing team, you can create technology plans or roadmaps to future-proof your business.
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Risk assessments: A network risk assessment evaluates the network(s) your business and employees use daily. Using risk assessment tools, the assessment helps identify risks to critical systems and sensitive data. Once these risks are known and recognized, you can begin to organize your data by the weight of the associated risk.
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Virtual CIO: A virtual CIO, vCIO, or Chief Information Officer is a consultant, third party, or business that offers a service (part-time person) to fulfill the role of a conventional CIO. This service helps companies that can’t afford the salary and benefits of a full-time executive. A vCIO usually works remotely and supports developing a technology roadmap, reviewing and maintaining IT infrastructure, vendor management, and new technology recommendations.
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Help desk: A help desk is a person, department, or business that provides users with help by fixing problems with their PCs or applications that they use every day. An IT outsourcing help desk troubleshoots IT issues as they occur and boosts your business. A help desk can simplify management, reduce costs, increase productivity, provide tracking and reporting, and communicate with you as needed.
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Application and database development: The more up-to-date your software and computer applications are, the easier life is. An IT outsourcing service can provide the right software applications to ensure your business uses the most updated technology. They can also develop new software specific to your business needs and job duties.
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Network management: Proper network management is fundamental to supporting managed IT services. There are five key benefits to outsourced network management:
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Maintenance—Your network and apps are proactively managed and patched without you ever needing to worry about keeping them up to date.
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Security—Every company is (rightly) worried about network security. We continually monitor your system for threats, keeping the possibility of a breach as close to zero as possible and preventing data loss.
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Reduced Total Cost of Ownership—Staffing, hardware, software, maintenance, and upgrades add up over time. Outsourced remote monitoring reduces or eliminates those costs for a known monthly rate.
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Minimize Downtime—When servers go down, a business can grind to a halt. AIS can prevent issues that cause server downtime by monitoring servers 24/7.
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Productivity—AIS monitors and maintains your network and technology so that you can focus on growing your business.
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Compliance: If your business is covered under one of any number of compliance laws, though, you may be hesitant to use something like the cloud. After all, falling under HIPAA, FINRA, or other regulatory rules may worry you as to whether cloud backup endangers your compliance. With the right IT services team, you can safely store your data in the cloud and be HIPAA and FINRA compliant.
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Hosting: A web hosting services provider is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website or webpage to be viewed on the Internet. Most hosting providers require that you own your domain to host with them.
Managed IT services are provided to businesses based on their needs via three business models:
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Flat Rate (all-you-can-eat model)
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Per User
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Per Device and bundled together as a single monthly fee
To learn more about managed IT services, read our article, What is Managed IT Services? How to Tell If You Need Them.
As you can tell, a lot goes into managed IT services. Let’s explore some ways managed IT services help support HIPAA privacy and security regulations, especially in the cloud.
HIPAA Compliant Managed IT Services: Supporting Your Business
Document Management
Document management is an excellent solution for medical practices that want to minimize the impact of paper in their workspaces, increase efficiency, and save money.
Not to mention digitizing patient records. Doing so allows secure sharing for all patient records and information. This helps minimize the chance of leaked information if a data breach occurs.
With document management, the patient's manila folder is no longer found, carried to the examination room, and then refiled.
HIPAA regulations and protected health information (PHI) can be compiled using digitized patient records, as long as you provide the proper training to all office staff with access to patient records and information.
Cloud Storage and Backup
Cloud storage and backup offer many benefits over traditional data backup options. However, whether your cloud backup endangers your compliance with HIPAA regulations may be a concern.
Lucky for you, you can safely store your data in the cloud (and remain HIPAA compliant), but there are a few things you should know first.
1. The Cloud is safe for HIPAA.
As mentioned above, you can use cloud backup and remain compliant under most regulatory rules. This is because cloud technology has advanced rapidly. However, remember that not all managed IT services companies are created equal.
Some third-party services are more secure than others, but fortunately, vendors compliant with regulatory rules can provide compliance documentation.
2. You Can’t Outsource Compliance
You must recognize that outsourcing your compliance-required data backup does not outsource your responsibility. As a medical provider, you are liable for keeping all patient records secured within your network. Your medical practice or healthcare organization can become liable if you remain noncompliant.
By using a third-party data backup company, such as a managed IT services provider, you also become business partners with that company under HIPAA regulations.
Learn more about picking the best managed IT services provider by reading our article, How to Find The Best Managed IT Services Company Near Me.
3. Important Questions To Ask Cloud Backup Vendors
Now that you know the basics of cloud backup and all that HIPAA requires, it’s time to find the best managed IT services company. To do so, you’ll need to ask the right questions.
Are you compliant? This is the most important and most often overlooked question for businesses to ask. Just because third-party vendors promise secure cloud backup doesn’t mean they’re compliant. They may not know they’re breaking the law if they’re not compliant! Always double-check before choosing a vendor.
What about the contract? Under HIPAA regulations, you must sign a business associate agreement with your managed IT services provider. Depending on the rules you follow, your agreement could be different. Ensure the provider supplies you with a contract outlining their compliance with your data.
Do you subcontract? Some managed IT services providers subcontract their data backup services. This can be risky when dealing with HIPAA compliance regulations. If the services provider does subcontract, the subcontractor must also remain HIPAA compliant.
Is information returned or destroyed? There may be times when you need to end services with your managed IT services company. With this in mind, ask what happens to the data afterward. It’s best if the vendor returns or destroys information, but if local law prevents this, make sure the vendor provides continued security.
Certifications to Look For
ISO 27001, SSAE16, and the MSP Alliance’s MSP/Cloud Verify are general compliance certifications for information security controls.
These codes are an excellent first step to double-check that your managed IT services provider has auditing and controls in place for their services.
However, this is only a starting point regarding regulations, business needs, and standards. Don’t assume that your search is over because a provider has a certification. Be sure your potential partner has kept up-to-date with changing certification requirements.
Data compliance in the cloud is an issue, but not an issue that would prevent you from moving to the cloud, so long as you do your homework.
To read more on HIPAA compliance relating to the cloud, read an article published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Guidance on HIPAA & Cloud Computing.
Keeping your employees' health records and personal information isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the law. You are responsible for complying with all HIPAA policies and regulations to ensure the safety of your patients' data.
Final Thoughts: HIPAA Compliance & Your Practice
AIS is dedicated to helping your business grow, no matter what type of business it may be. We strive to give you as many resources as possible to ensure your business technology devices run smoothly for not just your customers or patients but also your employees.
If you want to learn more about HIPAA-compliant managed IT services for your business or any of our other services, contact us today!
