HIPAA Medical File Shredding

My Document Shredding a division of Biz International Corporation, would like to inform all medical practices in the Boston MA area of the new Amendments to HIPPA, (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), recently passed by Congress. These Amendments will dramatically increase liabilities related to improper disposal of health care information. Medical shredding is an essential service for any healthcare organization. It ensures the safe and secure disposal of sensitive patient information, such as medical records, insurance documents, and other confidential documents. This process helps to protect the privacy and security of patients, as well as comply with federal and state regulations regarding the handling of personal health information.

Neighborhood Parcel of Boston, MA is a leading provider of medical shredding services. They understand the importance of protecting patient information and have implemented strict protocols to ensure the safe and secure disposal of all documents. Their medical shredding service includes the use of high-security shredders that are designed to shred paper documents into tiny particles. These particles are then recycled, ensuring that no sensitive information can be reconstructed. In addition, Neighborhood Parcel of Boston, MA also provides secure transportation of documents from healthcare facilities to their shredding facility, where they are then destroyed.

One of the key benefits of using a medical shredding service like Neighborhood Parcel of Boston, MA is that it saves healthcare organizations time and money. Rather than having to invest in expensive shredding equipment and hire staff to handle the shredding process, healthcare organizations can outsource this task to a professional medical shredding service. This allows healthcare organizations to focus on providing high-quality patient care, while still complying with all regulatory requirements.

Another benefit of using a professional medical shredding service like Neighborhood Parcel of Boston, MA is the peace of mind it provides. Healthcare organizations can be confident that their patient information is being handled in a safe and secure manner, and that they are complying with all regulations. Overall, medical shredding is an essential service for any healthcare organization. Neighborhood Parcel of Boston, MA is a reputable and experienced provider of medical shredding services, offering a range of benefits to healthcare organizations, including cost savings, time-savings, and peace of mind.

According to the National Association of Information Destruction’s research, most doctors, dentists, and healthcare professionals are unaware of the dramatic new liabilities created by the HITECH modifications to HIPPA. Medical practitioners are now legally required to alert authorities and patients when their personal information has been put at risk.

The HIPAA Rule requires that covered entities and business associates enter into contracts with their business associates to ensure that the business associates will appropriately safeguard protected health information. HIPPA fines were increased from a maximum of $25,000 to $1,500,000, according to the (HHS) Department of Health and Human Services. Fines will be mandatory for certain violations – specifically the disposal of patient information that is not properly safeguarded and destroyed.

To increase HIPPA enforcement the amendment now requires that the State’s Attorneys General be responsible for HIPPA compliance. AGs have already demonstrated their inclination to enforce data disposal provisions in their states. They are also being trained by the Office of Civil Rights to be more effectively enforce HIPPA.

Clearly, HIPAA and related state privacy rules require that a healthcare entity wipe hard drives of all PHI, or destroy them – the rules require the use of a variety of administrative, technical, and physical controls to keep personal health data private and secure. Paper records and documents must be disposed of in a HIPAA-compliant manner (remember: the HIPAA Omnibus Rule makes clear that shredding contractors are business associates under the law, which means that a covered entity contracting with a shredding service needs to be confident that the service knows its way around HIPAA compliance, and the shredding service needs to understand that it now has primary liability for any breach on its watch under the new rule)

Our Medical Data Destruction provides a security program to assist all medical and healthcare facilities in the Boston MA and New Hampshire Area. We can ensure that all medical material is properly and securely safeguarded, collected, removed, and properly destroyed.

Frequently Asked Questions by HHS