Technologies and Strategic...

Technologies and Strategic Information Systems Plans

Ashley Stewart

Dr. Andrea Claudette

Health Service Administration 315

5/3/2013

Technology has had a huge impact on the information systems that keeps our hospitals, physicians practice, delivery systems, nursing homes, and health clinics running to this day. It has been a method of keeping private health information organized and safe. The impact it will have will give the physicians and nurses a quick and easier way of searching and receiving patient information.

Frustration with the complexity of the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule continues to be paramount among healthcare companies and risks to patient information security continue to grow. Organizations must ensure that they have the appropriate IT and security levels order to maintain the integrity of the software, particularly computers that house confidential patient information. Workers in healthcare settings occasionally leave their computer workstations without logging off. This poses a security risk, especially when the workstation is in an area accessible to unauthorized people. The HIPAA Security Rule states that covered entities must implement electronic procedures that terminate an electronic session after a predetermined period of inactivity (“Top IT Threats to Healthcare Information Security”).

A recommendation to alleviate this issue is to set up computers with face/body recognition that would operate as long as the employee is in front of their system. Once the employee is out of sight the computer would automatically lock. Removable Media, The proliferation of USB devices such as thumb drives and even iPods has created a world in which data can be downloaded to a tiny device and stolen with the click of a mouse. Patient files, folders and personal information residing on the computers at HMOs, hospitals and other healthcare organizations...