Posts By: Beth Osborne

Data Cleansing for Healthcare

Posted by & filed under Healthcare.

data cleansing

“Dirty” data is an epidemic in just about every industry. Healthcare is no different. Due to the complexity and regulatory mandates around healthcare data, data cleansing for the vertical is often more urgent and complicated. Data cleaning is a necessity for multiple healthcare data management activities, including data conversions, data arching, and data exchange.

In this post, we’ll be going over what is data cleansing in healthcare and what every organization should know about it.

What Is Data Cleansing?

Simply put, it’s the process of repairing or removing data that’s stale, inaccurate, incorrectly formatted or structured, duplicative, or incomplete. Clean data is integral to healthcare’s ability to execute digital transformation. 

When Does Data Need Cleansing?

Several things can trigger the need for a data cleansing, including:

  • Data conversions: Moving data from one software platform to another is a good time for data cleansing. You can choose to purge stale or inaccurate data if you’re not required to keep it per medical record retention regulations. You may also find that reformatting is necessary because your new system fields are different from the previous ones.
  • Data archiving: When you move patient data to an archive, you also have the opportunity to clean it first. One of the biggest cleanses in these cases is to remove duplicates. When you do this, it’s much easier to find what you need on your archive platform. 
  • Data exchange: Different systems need to share data to support interoperability. However, you can send dirty data to the new system. Well, you could, but it would be very effective or useful. Cleaning the data before you share equates to better outcomes.

Cleansing of Data Often Pushed from Priority

Your healthcare IT team, whether internal or third-party, typically has a full plate, managing infrastructure and improving it. These IT professionals often don’t have time to cleanse data, so it’s never a priority. The problem is that when this doesn’t happen, data gets even dirtier and causes more problems. It can also cause implementations to stall because the data isn’t ready. That costs you time and money.

Outsourcing a data cleanse with companies like InfoWerks ensures that the process is timely, compliant, and accurate. We’re healthcare data experts and know all about how to take dirty data and transform it into clean data. 

Learn More About Data Cleansing Services

If you’re a healthcare entity searching for a comprehensive data clean, talk to our experts about how we can make it pain-free!

What is a HIPAA Compliant Data Conversion?

Posted by & filed under Healthcare.

hipaa compliant data conversion

As a healthcare organization, you’re well aware of HIPAA and its mandates regarding protected healthcare information (PHI). You likely have processes in place to ensure compliance when sharing, moving, or storing PHI data. But what about when you convert data from one platform to another? The process must be a HIPAA compliant data conversion.

What makes a data conversion HIPAA compliant? Let’s find out.

The HIPAA Security Rule

The HIPAA Security Rule establishes standards to protect the creation, reception, use, or maintenance of PHI. Three mechanisms must be in place to do this: appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. To meet those standards in a data conversion, you, your data conversion provider, and software vendor must take certain actions.

HIPAA Compliant Data Conversion Considerations

Before you begin your data conversion, there are several considerations for you and your partners to ensure compliance.

HIPAA Business Association Agreement

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), any individual or entity that accesses PHI on your behalf is a business associate. Thus, you’ll need a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with all parties. The access data includes electronic transmissions. If providers you’re considering working with don’t begin conversations about a BAA, this could be a red flag.

Encryption

hipaa compliant data conversion data encryption

HIPAA does not explicitly state the use of encryption in PHI transfer. Rather, the HIPAA Security Rule states it must be secure. Encryption is not a requirement but an “addressable” implementation. Addressable means that you must act if a risk assessment reveals its necessity.

Even without specific language, encryption fulfills the technical safeguards requirement. However, not all encryption is the same. HIPAA doesn’t define the type of encryption, so it’s open to interpretation.  

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) at 128-, 192-, or 256-bit encryption. The number expresses the key length used for encryption and decryption. AES 256-bit is the strongest type of encryption

Also, keep in mind that the encryption must be end to end, not just active during transmission.

Two-Factor Authentication

When your BAA partners access your PHI, they should employ two-factor authorization. This adds another layer of security. Access will require more than just a password. An additional pin or piece of information is necessary to retrieve the data.

HIPAA Awareness and Training

It’s a good idea to make sure your partners know more about HIPAA than just sending you the BAA. Ideally, they’ll have compliance experts on staff that monitor the operations of your data conversion. It’s also a best practice for their employees to participate in yearly HIPAA compliance training.

Data Center Certifications

Your data conversion provider uses colocation data centers to store data in its cloud. Everything’s in the cloud now, no longer in physical servers on-site. However, you need to know about the certifications and security protocols of the data center. Ideally, the certifications will be more robust than just HIPAA compliant, such as HITRUST CSF, SOC 1, 2, & Type 2, and NIST 800-53. Enquire about this during an initial discussion.

Data Breaches and HIPAA Violations

Data breaches in healthcare are, unfortunately, an ongoing concern. Even with HIPAA compliant practices, an incident can still occur. It’s a good idea to ask about any previous data breaches and if they were the result of a HIPAA violation.

Have Questions about a HIPAA Compliant Data Conversion?

If you still have questions regarding a HIPAA compliant data conversion, you can contact our experts. Also, check out the data security protocols we have in place, which go above and beyond HIPAA requirements.

The COVID-19 Vaccine: Pharmacies Need a Communication Plan

Posted by & filed under Pharmacy.

covid-19 vaccine

A COVID-19 vaccine could be available very soon. Multiple pharmaceutical companies are moving forward with seeking authorization from the FDA (Federal Drug Administration). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a partnership with independent and chain pharmacies to distribute the vaccine when approved. 

For pharmacy to play its role in distribution, you’ll need to develop a communication plan for patients and consumers in your area. We’ll tell you how.

U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Updates

There are currently several vaccines in trials, but the FDA has not approved any thus far. Here’s what we know right now:

  • Pfizer and BioNTech: The third phase of the trial concluded on November 18. According to their press release, it meets all the primary efficacy endpoints is 95% effective. The vaccine met the FDA’s safety data milestones requirements, with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) the next step. One caveat of the Pfizer vaccine is the requirement for storage at -94 degrees. 
  • Moderna: The company announced it met primary efficacy analysis in phase three, showing a 94.1% effective rate. On November 30, Moderna requested EUA from the FDA.

How Soon Could Vaccines Be Ready?

There is much speculation about timing, and it depends on if the FDA approves the EUAs submitted by the vaccine producers. After approval, vaccines could be available within weeks. However, logistics seem murky on how the vaccine will be accessible.

Who Would Get Vaccines First?

According to reports, there is division around who should get the vaccine first. STAT News reports that U.S. officials have differing positions. Some say those over 65 should be the first recipients, specifically those living in LTC facilities. Others, including the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), recommend healthcare workers be priority. These bodies cite the fact that over 230,000 healthcare workers contracted COVID-19, with 822 deaths.  

How Will Pharmacies Communicate When Mass Vaccines Become Available?

The initial doses of the vaccine will likely be earmarked for certain groups. After that, a broad availability will follow in 2021. If your pharmacy plans to be part of the vaccination program, you’ll need to get the word out, so there’s no room for misinformation.

Your communications might include facts about the vaccine, the administration process, and who qualifies. A second communication may need to follow to define how patients can schedule a vaccination. 

While pharmacies are likely to use digital channels to communicate, they may not cover the entire community. Sending first-class letters is a proven way to get the message out. Not only can you send letters to your patient database, but you could also extend your reach by mailing those to individuals in certain zip codes. 

These pharmacy print and direct mail services are available through Printwerks. Additionally, you may want to add new signage to your pharmacy regarding the vaccine process. We have the capabilities to provide those as well. 

Learn More About Printwerks Services

Communicating with your patients and community is critical during a healthcare crisis. Leverage our solutions to streamline this with ease. Check out what we can do for your pharmacy.