How can recycling protect healthcare data? Seems unlikely, doesn’t it? But not so fast. There are many benefits to recycling other than environmental protection.
You are likely to visit your local hospital regularly. Your top priorities include understanding your insurance coverage, making sure your doctor is a specialist in your area, and making sure you have all your healthcare needs met.
You probably don’t think about whether your medical records are secure. It is easy to assume that medical records are handled as securely by your local bank or credit card provider as financial records.
There are likely to be people at every country’s medical institutions whose job it is to protect medical records from any cyber-attack or other illegal breaches. It’s safe to assume that hackers are trying to steal the information from medical centers if they don’t dedicate resources to data security.
Hospitals, medical centers, and other healthcare facilities must think about the same problem all businesses face: e-waste.
The e-waste problem raises the following question:
“What to do with all the old office electronics that are not in use anymore and must be replaced?”
To maintain data security, you can have your electronics taken to a recycler who can also be your data security specialists. They will wipe out any personal, sensitive, or proprietary information. This is how healthcare data can be protected by recycling. It’s easy to find the right company to recycle your electronic devices and focus on data destruction.
What are the security concerns with medical e-waste?
The healthcare industry stores all patient and administrative data electronically, just like virtually every other business today. The internet has transformed the healthcare industry. The internet makes it easier than ever to keep long medical records, to allow healthcare professionals to share information and offer more customized treatments.
Telehealth is a new age in healthcare that uses telecommunications technology. There are many affordable digital healthcare tools that can be used by anyone.
Security industry experts have warned that healthcare is at risk from serious cybersecurity threats over the years. Security experts point out that medical records are more valuable than credit card data on the black marketplace because they contain more personal data points. They can’t be reissued in the same way as credit cards after a security breach.
Another concern is that healthcare organizations are more concerned with delivering care than security.
Electronic record keeping is expected to increase as healthcare networks can operate more efficiently by keeping patient data electronically. This has made it possible for them to provide better care and a more efficient experience for their patients. Each facility must ensure that the appropriate security measures are in place to protect this type of personal information.
What security problems extend beyond cyber attacks?
Human nature allows us to make mistakes. Healthcare facilities will likely be focused on making sure that patients receive the best possible care. However, even the most well-intentioned employees can make mistakes when it comes to patient data.
It could be as simple a mistakenly sent email with sensitive information. Healthcare organizations have made it a priority to ensure they have the right safeguards in place and prevent any brand damage or audits, since the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI Act) regulates this.
This is especially true when computers or other electronic devices within the healthcare organization stop working, or become unusable and must be replaced. People in charge of eradicating sensitive data may think they can just delete the data and that it is now safe.
It is impossible to be more truthful.
As important as preventing cyberattacks from external sources, ensuring that personal information is not lost within an organization is equally essential. Data breaches are almost always caused by employees within the organization. This is made more complicated by the fact many medical staff – such as doctors, nurses and admitting staff – require access to medical records.
Employees may not be able to delete all data from older electronics once they have been disposed of. This includes emails, documents, and other messages. However, deleting the information is not enough to prevent criminals from obtaining it if they have access to the discarded devices. Medical centers are at risk if they don’t fully protect confidential patient information.
People who have attempted to sell their smartphone or laptop online and decided to replace it with a new one have often learned a hard lesson: The more data stored on these devices, the easier it is for criminals.
All organizations must adopt policies that require the removal of patient information and other information.
What can be done to protect patient information?
Large hospitals and health care institutions must ensure patient privacy and security. All aspects of this data must be secured.
Radiologic images, laboratory test results, medication, allergies, as well as other clinical information, are stored on computers today. However, it is possible to transfer that information to another computer. It is not easy to delete the information on the computers that require replacement.
It is best to make sure that electronics and computers are not sent to local landfills as trash. This poses serious environmental hazards, as electronics can pollute the soil and water around them.
It also poses the possibility that computers may be thrown away and their critical information will be removed.
It is a good idea to bring office electronics to a reputable recycling company like eCycle Florida. They will not only recycle any valuable parts in the e-waste, but also provide hardware Asset Management services to offset the costs of office electronics that are no more in use.
eCycle Florida can help you identify the value of office electronics to recover some of your initial investment.
eCycle Florida can also remove your concerns about old hard drives and data, as they are data security specialists offering total data destruction. There are many levels of data destruction and sanitization available. eCycle Florida offers secure destruction of confidential, proprietary or personal information. This post was written by Steven Elia Co-Founder and Recycling Director at eCycle Florida. eCycle Florida is a R2 Certified electronics recycling company in the state of Florida. Our processes and procedures are dedicated to the proper destruction and recycling of your electronics. eCycle Florida is your go-to when looking for an electronic recycling center in Tampa.
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