Protecting the privacy of patients’ health information and medical records is a major priority for the healthcare industry, not just because of the rising numbers of data breaches, but also because of laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which impose hefty fines if privacy is not maintained. Because of this, medical offices are looking for strategies and services to help their medical practice recognize what records need shredding, when they should be destroyed, and the benefits to utilizing a professional shredding service like Shred Monkey.
What Records Need Destroyed?
According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the HIPAA Privacy Rule requires appropriate safeguards to protect medical records throughout the entire lifespan of the document—including its disposal. Basically, it includes any and all demographic information that could identify the patient in question. The most common of these types of medical records or documents are:
- Names
- Social Security Numbers
- Dates
- Health Plan Beneficiary Numbers
- Geographic Identifiers
- Account Numbers
- Phone/Fax Numbers
- Certificate/License Numbers
- Email Addresses
- Vehicle Identifiers and Serial Numbers or License Plate Numbers
- Medical Record Numbers