Healthcare agencies and providers are under increasing pressure to not only deliver high-quality, reliable services to patients on dwindling budgets, but to keep sensitive data protected from increasingly clever cybercriminals.
And make no mistake — these are serious challenges for the healthcare industry. The coronavirus pandemic has unleashed a Pandora’s box of possibilities for hackers as healthcare providers struggle with patient overload and new safety standards.
Hackers are using ransomware and other techniques to grab patient records, forcing healthcare agencies to seek new ways of protecting themselves — and the data for which they are responsible.
Some attacks are carried out with bots and malware in an attempt to scramble data, making it unusable by doctors and disrupting the ability to provide patient care.
All this activity means healthcare providers must secure data throughout every portion of its lifespan, from intake to archival.
Using Secure Document Scanning Services to Protect Data
Much of today’s healthcare data is still garnered the old-fashioned way — through papers filled out by patients. Paper-heavy processes not only slow down workflows, but they also represent a serious weakness in data security.
Paper documents can be easily stolen and misplaced, so digitizing information through scanning is a sensible first step toward protection. Coupled with document management software, scanned documents can help healthcare organizations run more efficiently with less risk of data theft or loss.
Securing Data through Scanning
If you have a large in-house administrative department, your organization may be well equipped to handle day-to-day scanning. However, many organizations have years of documents to process — and this backfile scanning can take up a lot of staff time.
Secure document scanning services are services provided by a third-party partner who will take over the scanning of patient records to free your staff up to handle daily tasks and patient care.
This service reduces the costs of paper record storage and even eliminates the labor cost of having in-house staff perform the task.
Addressing Security Challenges for Healthcare Organizations
Healthcare providers must protect data — and they must ensure that the data they need remains easily available so they can stay open for business, providing high-quality patient care even in the midst of a global crisis.
Document scanning, when coupled with a strong document management solution can not only address security concerns but put crucial patient data at the fingertips of providers who need it, when they need it most.
Fast access to data means better patient care and better patient outcomes, both of which contribute to reducing risk and bolstering patient confidence and organization performance.
Strong document management and scanning solutions ensure organizations remain compliant with required regulations such as HIPAA and others, while providing swift access to information.
As well as automating processes for efficiency, document management solutions can allow for anytime/anywhere file access and prevent data loss with an ironclad disaster recovery plan.
Chain of custody and audit logs make tracking data retrieval, changes, and archival simple and add additional layers of security to your data usage processes.
RJ Young Brings Secure Scanning and Document Management to Life
Hospitals, doctors’ offices, and other agencies that provide healthcare services are facing more challenges than ever as they move through the ongoing pandemic.
Not only must they serve a larger patient base, but they must defend against the near-constant onslaught of cyberattacks. At the same time, budgets are shrinking so administrators must allocate resources more carefully.
Fortunately, secure document scanning services, with or without a document management solution, can help take some of the burdens off healthcare providers, allowing them to focus on patient care and patient services.
At RJ Young, we not only provide high-quality scanners for in-office use, but we have experts on staff ready to help with backfile scanning or sporadic scanning services to help secure your data digitally while making it easier to access.
Our team can digitize, index, and archive your necessary data, set up a document management solution that allows for easy, secure retrieval and unsurpassed disaster recovery, and give you peace of mind knowing your data is secured.
Digitize your patient records the easy, secure way. Touch base with an RJ Young consultant and find out how secure document scanning and document management services can help your organization stay protected — and efficient.