As a healthcare professional, you see the daily impact of treating patients with high quality service. With each patient, there are unique circumstances that personalize each and every treatment option or diagnosis. Making sure that patients’ privacy is protected is crucial to their privacy, comfort, and well being.  

Additionally, it is important for healthcare facilities to properly follow HIPAA regulations regarding the patients’ personal information. In the world we live in, there is nothing more secure than information on a piece of paper.  

We are here to take the worry away and make sure that the documents you print stay secure and follow HIPAA compliance.  

HOW DO YOU CURRENTLY PRINT? 

Printing has become so routine that we may not even think about how individuals in an organization print sensitive documents. This is despite the fact that 80% of organizations report at least one type of security breach within the last year.  

When you are looking to see if your printer will follow HIPAA regulations, there are a few good questions to ask yourself: 

  • How do I know the individual who printed the document is picking it up?  
  • Can other people see what is in the printer que? Do those files or file names have any patient information on it? 
  • Who can access a file after it is scanned? 
  • How long does a file stay in the printer’s hard drive after it is scanned or printed? Is that a security threat? 
  • Is this printer on a secured network? 
  • Have we had to change security settings to make printing more user-friendly? 
  • Is this printer even up to date with the latest security updates and firmware? 

WHAT PRINTER AND SECURITY TECHNOLOGY DO HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS NEED? 

Innovators of printer and copier security technology are now developing built-in access control software and other security features. For example, some of the access control solutions include: 

  • Access Control Secure Authentication – prevents unauthorized use of printers and copiers and features while tracking use 
  • Capture and Route – Securely track and control distribution of scanned content 
  • Universal Print Driver – Replaces discrete individual print drivers, and includes special security features 
  • Scanning – Restrict scans to only go to emails on your organization’s domain to prevent sensitive information from being distributed directly to personal emails 

The final aspect of printer and copier access security that is often overlooked is what to do when you are finished using the device. Once you are ready to retire a printer/copier or return it to a leasing agency, it is crucial that you remove any data that may be retained in the hardware’s memory. Ensuring that the device’s hard disk is erased, destroyed, or removed will provide you with a final added measure of security. 

SECURING DATA WITH ENCRYPTION 

Wireless technology has been an amazing advancement in promoting efficiency and productivity in the workplace. Unfortunately, with the benefits come risks. 

Your documents and data become highly vulnerable as they traverse the “wireless network” to a multifunction printer or copier. Once your information makes it to the hardware’s memory or storage, it is susceptible to attack there as well. 

The best way to protect sensitive data within your network is with encryption. Encrypt print and copier jobs to secure data in transit in the event of interception and use encrypted storage to protect documents in the device’s queue. Data can also be protected by authenticating users and attaching them to their specific documents. Document owners are then required to authenticate themselves to the printer or copier before their documents will print. Make sure the end-point device does not store the document or data about the printed document once the print job is completed. 

In environments that involve multiple desktop printers and copiers, make sure that sensitive data is not stored on these devices. This is because desktop devices may be more vulnerable to physical theft, and with the hardware, the data could be stolen. 

SELECTING SECURE MULTIFUNCTIONAL PRINTERS AND COPIERS 

Without a doubt, the best way to secure your printer and copier is to invest in technology that is pre-programmed with the most up-to-date device security features. HP printer’s are considered the most secure printer, ideal for Healthcare environments.  

Look for multifunction printers and copiers that are designed to independently detect, protect, and self-repair damage from malware attacks. As you upgrade outdated equipment, replace it with systems that offer built-in threat detection and software validation features, so only authorized firmware and software can be installed and executed. This will provide your network with an extra layer of security. 

Are you in need of knowledgeable and experienced assistance with securing your multifunction printer and copier network? Prepare yourself for the office of now with help from Modern Office Methods (MOM) and HP.