5 HIPAA Mistakes to Avoid

Did you know that the average HIPAA Violation costs upwards of $50,000 and can frequently include over a year in prison? With the continued changes being implemented to the current regulations violations not only continue but are on the rise, with random audits increasing as well. Physicians First Messages is here with a friendly reminder to not put off ensuring that your practice is not only compliant but is constantly apprised of the ever changing laws regarding HIPAA and HITECH Act. After all, there's no better time than now.  

And if your facility is already up to date on the regulations, you can still be in violation if you or someone in your practice makes any one of these very common HIPAA mistakes. 

The violation could be as simple as leaving your personal device unattended & unlocked, using public Wi-Fi networks,  having your work computer be susceptible to malware, or staff members that gossip about patients to friends and family. But even these seemingly minor mistakes can be enormously costly for a medical practice.

Here at Physicians First Messages we have taken steps to ensure that we are also in continuous compliance with the HIPAA HITECH regulations, especially in our system's transition to transmitting only over secured messaging for all text messages, so rest assured we've got your patients' privacy covered for you and your staff from this end.