10 Jul 5 Questions to Ask About EHR Cloud Security
Data breaches continue to occur in the U.S., with network servers being the most common location of breached health information. Protecting your patient data is a top priority. One critical step is investing in EHR cloud technology for your eye care practice.
According to a May 2024 HIPAA Journal Healthcare Data Breach Report, the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights received 51 data breaches involving 500 or more healthcare records.
The best cloud EHR technology offers businesses optimized security with built-in cybersecurity measures such as two-factor authentication, encryption algorithms, and single sign-on capability. The more protection you have over your data, the less likely you are to get hacked.
Cybersecurity attacks, phishing scams, and cloud data breaches come at a high cost in many ways. When shopping around for ophthalmology and optometry cloud-based EHR systems, you should ask specific questions to ensure the safe and secure storage of your patient’s protected health information (PHI).
We’ve compiled a list of cloud security questions to put at the top of your list to ask EHR vendors as you search for a solution that meets your needs.
1. How secure is your optometry and ophthalmology EHR software?
The EHR solution you select must take data security seriously.
Encrypting: Does your current EHR vendor encrypt any data you input into the software system? Encrypting is important if you want your patient data to be truly safe from data breaches. Data protection processes should ensure patient data is securely transmitted, stored, and regularly monitored for ongoing security.
Data Backups: Ask your vendor if they encrypt data backups and data at rest (inactive data stored physically in any digital format) and if the EHR software includes built-in functionality that adheres to HIPAA requirements for user access controls, privacy, and security.
While keeping your eye care practice safe from cybersecurity threats is crucial, it’s also important to understand the tools you need to use daily for extra protection.
Related: 6 Cybersecurity Tips to Protect Your Eye Care Practice
2. How do you protect your cloud EHR data?
Storing data in the cloud, rather than physical servers, provides enhanced data protection in case of a data breach or unforeseen disaster.
Automatic Updates: With cloud-based eye care software like MaximEyes.com, updates and patches happen automatically in the cloud, eliminating time-consuming manual processes and daily practices that put your system and data at risk. As a result, you have stronger security, automatic backup, and easier recovery.
Advanced Antivirus Tools: MaximEyes.com software protects your cloud data using advanced antivirus tools, Microsoft® Azure security protection with anti-malware, cloud backup solutions, and firewall technologies that detect and stop ransomware threats from encrypting files.
“If you don’t use the best security to protect patient data, it can financially ruin you. The fines for HIPAA breaches are enormous—don’t take that too lightly.” –Tory Moore, OD (Dumas Vision Source)
3. What is your disaster recovery plan?
Should a disaster occur, you want to feel confident that your EHR software will recover important patient data so you can continue to run your practice. The EHR you choose should have a thorough disaster recovery plan to keep your office running smoothly despite any disaster.
Advanced Threat Protection: MaximEyes.com optometry software protects your cloud data with the Microsoft® Azure Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) cloud-based security solution. This solution backs up your data for the last 30 days. If a disaster should occur, data is typically recovered within 2–8 hours.
Real-time Autosaving: MaximEyes.com also provides real-time autosaving and continuous monitoring to secure your most recent data. A comprehensive recovery plan can minimize downtime and quickly get your practice up and running, giving you peace of mind even during unexpected circumstances.
“MaximEyes.com always emphasizes secure data protection and disaster recovery and pays close attention to staying on top of security and privacy issues. For example, two-factor authentication adds a second layer of security to verify your identity when accessing MaximEyes.com.” –Brad Bodkin, OD (The Vision Center at Seaside Farms)
4. How often will you update your EHR cloud technology?
Cybercriminals are becoming more advanced in their approaches. As threats to patient privacy continue to increase, eye care providers must invest in advanced technology to keep up with the pace.
Addressing Security Vulnerabilities: The EHR software vendor you choose should be knowledgeable about updating old systems and software regularly. Being more strategic and stealthy when managing patient data will help keep you safe from threats. Regular updates are critical in addressing new security vulnerabilities and improving the system’s performance.
Security and Compliance: Your EHR software vendor should provide timely updates, including the latest security patches, feature enhancements, and compliance with industry regulations. Using a vendor that prioritizes regular updates ensures your practice remains protected against evolving threats.
Be Proactive: Remember that frequent updates introduce new processes that improve your practice workflows, enhance patient care, and improve overall efficiency. Stay proactive in inquiring about your vendor’s update schedule and the specific improvements so your software is always running at its best.
“Using a cloud-based EHR like MaximEyes.com allows us to work remotely anywhere and anytime, from any device. Our data is protected in the Microsoft® Azure cloud.” –Peter Falk, OD (ReVision Eye Care)
5. Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement with your EHR vendor?
Just like you would when using certain Google™ Workspace products in your eye care practice, your EHR vendor should request that you sign a Business Associate Agreement.
This step ensures proper compliance with HIPAA privacy and security rules regarding protected health information (PHI) so you know any patient data transmitted inside the EHR software is protected and that both you and the EHR vendor are in compliance.
Our HIPAA Risk Assessment Checklist for Eye Care Professionals and HIPAA Compliance Guide for Eye Care Professionals reviews several steps you must take to protect PHI’s privacy and electronic security.
Your Cloud Data is Secure with MaximEyes.com
Now that you know what questions to ask your future ophthalmology or optometry EHR vendor about cloud security, you can start collecting information about your top choices.
Find a partner that monitors and adheres to secure cloud data protection, backup, and disaster recovery. Look for a product team that strives to stay current with privacy and security measures to ensure the ongoing protection of your data. With an eye care EHR cloud system like MaximEyes.com, rest assured your data is safe and secure.