With several vulnerabilities and issues threatening the healthcare industry, protecting confidential information has become the need of the hour. Irrespective of how small or big an organization might be, they need data redaction outsourcing services to keep up with the security compliance and increase its reputation.
Data redaction plays a significant role in hiding sensitive information by protecting them against data breaches and increasing your organization’s trustworthiness.
What is Data Redaction?
Data redaction removes sensitive information such as Social Security Numbers (SSNs), credit card information, etc., from the files or databases. In addition, the process redacts that private information for internal and external purposes, thereby safekeeping the information from leakages.
Data Redaction in Healthcare RCM:
Data Redaction is essential in healthcare as it reduces the risk of sharing patients’ private information. Therefore, protected Health Information (PHI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as diagnosis, treatments, billing processes, SSNs, contact information, credit card numbers, etc., are redacted & protected for security purposes.
How does Redacting Work?
Medical records redaction involves the following steps:
- Scan the medical records or documents to identify the PII.
- Removing or redacting PII.
- Storage of redacted files in a secure manner.
What kind of Data is Redacted from Medical Records?
- Harmful Information
It is essential to redact medical records to safeguard the patients’ and their families’ sensitive or personal information. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) policy 0070 are some regulations the organizations must follow to ensure data privacy and transparency in protecting patient information from medical records.
Personal information such as private addresses, phone numbers, email ids, patient names, social security numbers, birthdates, credit card numbers, and anything that makes it easier to identify an individual is redacted during the process.
- Third-Party Information
Third-party information has to be kept confidential in healthcare RCM. Therefore, any carelessness in the process could lead to data breaches or leakage, resulting in fraud.
For example, if consent is needed to be approved by the patient’s relative in their absence, redacting information could enhance the security of the medical records.
- Compliance and Regulations – HIPAA Norms
When it involves the protection of the personal health information of patients, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) plays a significant role. The primary function of HIPAA is to protect sensitive data from publishing without the patient’s consent. In addition, it helps in safeguarding the details or information that identifies a person.
With data breaches or leakages becoming a prominent factor in the recent past, it’s high time for healthcare providers to protect their patients’ sensitive information. Therefore, you should follow the compliances and redaction methodologies to redact sensitive information and gain credibility among your patients. Data redaction outsourcing services could give an edge to your Healthcare RCM by bringing down costs and ensuring the accuracy of the operations.
Feel free to connect with us to know more about best practices on redaction services. For details, visit: https://www.rannsolve.com/
