Are cell phones a HIPAA violation?

Cell phone policy at work is not a new topic. It’s a discussion that every employer rings in the ears of their employees. Companies have tasked employees to avoid the use of their phones while working and many still wonder how cell phones violate the workplace. 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has also put in some suggestions, especially for healthcare facilities. With technology, life itself has been made simple. But with every good thing, there comes a bad side if not properly managed. 

Excessive cellphone usage is one of the most common workplace problems.

Healthcare professionals can now easily use their cell phones to track the data of their patients and receive private information regarding them. Patients are also given access to healthcare apps that have improved overall health tracking for them. 

But we also battle with private data leakages that happen when viruses or hackers are given a chance. The mobile devices of employees in healthcare institutions pose a greater risk of a data breach which can lead to the leakage of the personal data of patients. 

What is HIPPA about?

HIPAA is an acronym for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The Act has monitored technology and the healthcare industry through thick and thin. The act isn’t against workplace cell phone policies for employees but advises that the rules and regulations should be obeyed. 

Company cell phone policies are kept in place to prevent damages from happening which could lead to a major breakdown of such organizations. Data leaks and data breaches are some of the damages that can occur when a cell phone policy at work is not obeyed. Abiding by the policy is an important aspect of protection, especially in healthcare facilities. 

HIPAA is not against the use of mobile phones in the workplace but the Act strongly recommends that rules should be followed. It states that,

“Health care providers, other covered entities, and business associates may use mobile devices to access electronically protected health information (ePHI) as long as appropriate physical, administrative, and technical safeguards are in place to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the ePHI on the mobile device and appropriate BAAs are in place with any third-party service providers for the device and/or the cloud that will have access to e-PHI.”

What are some company cell phone policies? 

Although there are no regulations set by HIPAA, some experts have given some rules for a no cell phone use at work policy. They include: 

• Advise your employees to use very strong passwords for every app that contains private patient information. This will help in cases where an employee’s mobile device is stolen. 
• Ensure that your network connection can only be used in certain secure apps. This way, hackers will have a lower chance of getting protected data through an employee’s device. 
• Another rule to include in a cell phone policy at work is to provide devices for employees to use instead of their mobile devices. This will prevent unwanted problems since the supplied devices will be filled with only trusted apps for patients’ data. 
• Encourage staff to avoid connecting to unknown WiFi networks as this poses a great risk to both their personal information and that of the company. Instead, provide a WiFi network they can use while in the office, if possible. 
• Train your staff on the dangers of using their phones while at work. Inform them on how client data can be leaked and used for illegal practices. Make the training a compulsory activity in the company’s cell phone policy. 
• You can employ the services of auditing firms to help detect potential risks on mobile devices. 

Having cell phone policies at work is a good indicator of a healthy workplace. With these policies, organizations can be freed of the problems associated with data leakage. 

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