DATA SECURITY FOR THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY: HOW TRI-STAR PROTECTS YOUR PHI

PHI, or Protected Health Information, is confidential and sensitive information between patients and their primary care physician team which makes Healthcare one of the most sensitive and regulated industries in the world.

What is PHI?

Protected Health Information (PHI) is an all-encompassing term applied to health data at HIPAA-covered entities. For our purposes, that is health data that is electronically created and stored on your computer hardware and systems. It expands beyond healthcare service organizations to those participating in healthcare operations and payment systems.

HIPAA applies to protected health information that by definition, “Relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of an individual; the provision of health care to an individual; or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual”. Your electronic patient data includes, but might not be limited to, that which is created and maintained in electronic media (on your computer system) and that has been transmitted electronically by email or fax.

How Tri-Star Electronics Recycling Protects Your Data

With full reporting on data destruction, Chain of Custody, HDD security, and adherence to strict HIPAA regulations, TSR is an industry leader in the servicing of our nation’s hospitals and healthcare facilities. We will work with you to tailor a solution to protect your patient’s data and make sure it is responsibly handled and destroyed effectively.

Data Destruction

TSR offers comprehensive data destruction services. We apply industry-leading solutions to your PHI data needs to include both data shredding and wiping capabilities, as well as meeting the documentation standards required by the NIST.

Chain of Custody

At TSR, our focus is on chain of custody integrity. Our team will arrive at your location, remove the equipment and transport it directly to our facilities. Strict access controls, video surveillance, and background screening are all maintained and verified by both internal and external annual audits. Inventory control and our secure facility work to ensure that no unauthorized parties have access to your material.

HDD Security

Utilizing cloud video solutions, your hard drives and other data-bearing devices are never out of our site. Controlled entry and exit, video surveillance, and Cyber Security Insurance all work together to give you peace of mind.

HIPAA regulations that apply to medical data

In recent years, as healthcare information continues to be digitized, the government has created regulations to protect it. This resulted in a comprehensive HIPAA security rule for medical data. HHS summarizes the security rule in the following way (see full summary here):

“The Security Rule requires covered entities to maintain reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for protecting e-PHI.

Specifically, covered entities must:

Ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all e-PHI they create, receive, maintain or transmit;
Identify and protect against reasonably anticipated threats to the security or integrity of the information;
Protect against reasonably anticipated, impermissible uses or disclosures; and
Ensure compliance by their workforce.”

Tri-Star Electronics Recycling’s commitment to security has made it a competitive entity in the data destruction space; On/Off site solutions, adaptable reporting, fully secure.