Ensuring Patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI) is Secure Starts in the Waiting Room

Privacy is critical in most aspects of life but particularly critical in healthcare. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) established clear legal requirements for patients’ privacy and the security of health information. In addition to being a basic human right for patients, how you manage patients’ privacy can aid in assisting doctor-patient trust, maximize the effectiveness of the healthcare you provide and reduce liability for your practice. As a result, patient privacy should be of significant concern for all healthcare providers. The consequences of breaching patient privacy can also be substantial. Here are several ways a visitor management system like EntryLogic can help protect your patients and practice today:

Secure Digital Check-in

Like most practices, paper sign-in sheets are usually at an open station in your waiting room. Leaving this information on the front desk counter for other patients to see is a clear HIPAA violation. It exposes a significant risk to your patients’ Protected Health Information and an unnecessary liability for your practice. Moving to a secure digital self-check-in or contactless sign-in process negates the need for pen and paper. Patients can privately enter personal information into a system that will not be visible to unauthorized viewers, which significantly reduces your risk of a privacy violation. Furthermore, if not handled properly, paper sign-in sheets could be lost and stolen, which could result in costly HIPAA violation fines for your practice. All of your patient registration information is entered into EntryLogic and is securely stored in the cloud (AWS Web Services). This information is only visible and accessible by your authorized personnel through a secure log-in.

Contactless Sign-in

Reduce the transmission of germs and protect your patients and staff with a touchless sign-in experience. Patients simply scan a QR Code from the EntryLogic kiosk with their own smartphone. After scanning the code, patients are directed to a secure URL where they can privately complete the check-in process from their own device. Contactless sign-in eliminates the need to touch the kiosk, thus significantly reducing the transmission of surface-based germs. Healthcare facilities continue to face many challenges with the Pandemic. Implementing a digital patient sign-in process and providing options for contactless sign-in ensures a secure and hygienic patient registration experience.

Patient Pre-registration

As an additional measure of privacy, EntryLogic offers the option to pre-register patients in the system by entering the patents information and details of their visit prior to their appointment. The patients will receive an email confirming their appointment along with a QR Code. Upon their arrival at your office, patients simply scan the QR Code on the EntryLogic tablet instantly and securely check them in for their appointment. In addition to the added privacy, your practice staff will have complete visibility to all patients expected that day, as well as their anticipated arrival time.

Instant Notifications

Another risk is asking your patients to include additional information on your sign-in sheet or disclose information such as the physician’s name or the reason for the visit. Although it may not seem like an issue, it could open you up to an additional set of HIPAA breaches. If you have several doctors at your office in different specialties, it may be a HIPAA breach to ask your patients to name the doctor they are there to see on the sign-in sheet. EntryLogic allows you to select their physician and reason for the visit privately. Upon check-in, your practitioner and staff are instantly and confidentially notified of your arrival.

Visitor Agreements

HIPAA covers a variety of patient’s rights; one of these includes a patient’s right to know how their Protected Health Information is going to be used. HIPAA requires you to disclose your office’s privacy practices in a Notice of Privacy Practices document. Patients are not required to sign your Notice, but the guidelines state getting the patients’ acknowledgment can be helpful to prove your compliance with HIPAA rules when needed. EntryLogic can greatly assist by consistently presenting your Notice of Privacy Practices to each patient during their sign-in. Patients are presented with this notification and are required to provide their acknowledgment to proceed during the secure check-in. Upon the patient’s request, a copy of this document can be automatically emailed to them, further confirming their acknowledgment and receipt. If you get an audit request from the Office of Civil Rights for HIPAA compliance, they will want to make sure your notice contains the required content and to review your process of making your privacy notice available to your patients. Ultimately, the burden is on the practice and you are required to have some process for your patients to acknowledge that a copy of your privacy policy was made available for them to review. Implementing EntryLogic gives healthcare providers the ability to have a consistent process to distribute this information.

Streamline and Secure Shared Practice Facilities

If your practice or facility has several physicians with different specialties or it’s a shared office space with multiple practitioners, EntryLogic delivers privacy and efficiency. With EntryLogic, patients can discretely select the practitioner they are there to visit. This provides a much higher level of confidentiality, nearly impossible to attain with paper sign-in sheets, particularly in shared environments. In addition to a secure sign-in process, EntryLogic’s system can notify the specific practitioners and staff as their patient signs in. This greatly streamlines the waiting room management in shared-practice environments and can provide a much higher level of confidentiality for the patient. Each practitioner has access to their own patient logs and individual detailed reporting to assist in audits, resolve billing discrepancies from missed appointments, or conduct accurate contact tracing if needed.

Taking steps to ensure your patient’s comfort and that their information is secure is imperative. EntryLogic’s workflows make it easy to manage patients’ registration and help protect your practice. If you’d like to learn more about what EntryLogic can do for your practice, use these links to schedule a call or demo. Visit our website or simply call (630) 757-7525 to connect with one of our representatives today.