Monday, August 11, 2014

Missing Patient Records Resurface

In Pennsylvania, a medical practice known as Reading Health System recently had to alert its patient to the fact that some of their medical billing records had disappeared. The records, apparently kept in boxes in the office, dated from 2009 through 2010. Three entire boxes full of records were removed from the office in 2012 and were just returned in 2014.

Many of the records contained sensitive personal information, but the firm said there is no evidence of tampering. However, it has extended an offer of free credit monitoring to the affected patients. 


So, how did the missing files turn up? Well, someone working for a maintenance services vendor that serviced the firm allegedly took home the boxes for safekeeping. Whether that story is true or not is still yet to be determined, but the firm is stepping up and trying to improve its security practices overall as a result.


A good first step for this firm and others like it might be to take a more modern, electronic approach to file keeping. It’s easy to step into the modern world when you have access to great healthcare apps. Many healthcare apps, like DeductorMD.com, can even help take care of more complex processes for you, like medical billing and coding. 

If you are a healthcare clinician, are you using todays new healthcare app for Medical Decision Making, DeductorMD?

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