How can you ensure that your practices medical data is safe at all times?

As with any industry, looking after patient data means that your practice has a duty of care to look after it both safely and legally. When it comes to the healthcare sector, the GMC guidance in Good Medical Practice (2006) clearly states that records are a fundamental part of doctors’ duties.

The GMC also explains that as part of providing care, you must obtain accurate, clear and legible patient records. So, with the world turning to digital for almost everything, how can you ensure that your practice will be able to store records safely whilst ensuring that they are protected, in the case of your practice becoming a victim of a cyber-attack?

Thankfully, as quickly as the digital world is evolving, so is cybersecurity. A training course such as Cyber Essentials will not only educate you and your employees on the potential risks, but it will also ensure that your practice will be able to have adequate measures in place, in the case of a cyber-attack. Your team will learn how to keep medical data safe at all times and gain the knowledge and skills to be able to prevent an attack.

In the past few years, there has been a rise in the number of data breaches as a result of the loss of portable computing or storage devices. Healthcare organisations should also ensure that any devices that hold patient data, such as USB drives and laptops, should be encrypted for added protection.

General records such as x-rays, blood test results and hand-written notes should be stored securely at all times and protected against the risk of loss, damage or destruction. When upgrading software, or moving from manual to digital, practices should always ensure that any online records are backed up, in case of any technical faults happening and minimising the risk of loss.

With a noticeable increase in awareness surrounding cybersecurity, many clients have been making the decision to change their website hosting service to trusted and well-known companies, which will help to guarantee the safety and security of the data that they own.

If you are looking to switch or upgrade the software system for your private practice, contact PPM Software today and let us take care of your admin. For more information, you can speak to a member of our team by calling 01992 655940 Option 2.

About this Partner

PPM Software provides Consultants with ‘PPM’ – Private Practice Manager, a software designed for medical doctors in private practice’

It can be installed on a single PC, a local area network of PC’s or in the ‘cloud’ using our hosted service.

The software allows you to confidently leave the admin to ‘PPM’, allowing you to spend more time with your patients.

Contact Details

info@ppmsoftware.com

01992 655940 – Option 2

www.ppmsoftware.com