Embracing Mobile Technology in the Healthcare Industry ENSURE THE PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY OF PATIENT INFORMATION By Lauren Collins T he emergence of mobile technology continues to grow within the healthcare industry. In most cases, this is because these forms of technology simply make managing the workflow easier. In other cases, we use technology because we have to. For example, although some physicians are still advocates for paper charts, the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic medical records (EMRs) has been mandated. And given the need to acquire and dictate information pertaining to the care of patients or the payment of claims, immediate access to data, resources, and workflow is becoming increasingly important. There Are Many Benefits to Mobile Technology mobility and technology have taken speed and efficiency to new heights. Indeed, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals have found themselves immersed in software programs using a computer, tablet, or some other type of mobile device. For example, physicians can coordinate patient care across multiple offices, surgeons can review patient charts while off-site, and medical staff can assess and interpret CT scans, eCgs, and lab results much more quickly than before. and let’s not forget the positive impact for those who do billing! since the insurance companies have transitioned to a data-driven methodology, among other things, billing companies have implemented tools that allow us to be more efficient, both financially and operationally. Despite these benefits, with this technology comes other considerations, including data privacy and security and ensuring you choose the right tools with the right features when selecting any kind of mobile technology for your work. The following are items to consider for ensuring the effectiveness and security of mobile technology in a healthcare setting. It is important to partner with IT staff to implement the practices described below. Application Security The use of mobile devices presents an entirely new spectrum of considerations. Too often, developers opt for a positive user 12 HBma BIllINg • NOVemBer.DeCemBer.2014 experience over the integration of security and encryption. You may think: just shrink the size of the browser window to fit the mobile device! This mentality fails to consider the resources necessary for input on a touchscreen keyboard, the computational overhead of encryption, or the limitations of loading a browser over a mobile network. In healthcare settings, it is just as tricky. smaller screen sizes offer the potential for errors, which may include the partial view of patient information, or hiding important information behind menus that are not visible on the mobile device platform. There is also the risk that patient data may not be secure. One way to mitigate this risk is to implement multifactor authentication (mFa), which adds an additional layer of security on top of your username and password, also known as two-factor authentication. When mFa is present, a user is prompted to enter a username and password (first factor), as well as an authentication code from an mFa device (second factor). The device could be a cell phone approved to automatically receive a code upon logging in with the first factor. For example, gmail accounts that are mFaenabled initially require a username and password, then they require a nine-digit code sent to an approved mobile device. essentially, the second factor requires the user to possess something other than knowledge to enter the second passcode. Device Types and Functionality a mobile device employs what’s called a “single user application” – it’s used by one person. Conversely, an application running in the cloud supports between a few hundred to millions of users. Both the number of users and device type of an application present an expansive view of the application platform and the services it will provide. Here are just a few things to consider when choosing an application platform: • Cross-platform. look for apps that are built utilizing crossplatform tools. ask yourself: Will the app work on android, Blackberry, iPhone, and Windows? What type of devices does my organization use? • HTML5. a new markup language, HTml5 is a core tech-
Billing_NovDec14
To see the actual publication please follow the link above