Five Healthcare Documents to Destroy for Information Security

Document loss or theft in the healthcare industry can be particularly damaging, because  documents can contain a wide range of incredibly sensitive information. Sensitive healthcare documentation includes things such as records of patients’ medical histories, the personal information of patients or staff, and information relating to insurance claims and payments.

While many South Dakota healthcare institutions may have protections against digital information theft, safeguarding against healthcare information breaches can be difficult because so many of these records are stored in hard copy form. While all private medical information is sensitive, there are five healthcare documents that are especially risky and must be properly destroyed to protect against a breach of important data.

1. Records of Diagnoses 

Any documents that detail a patient’s diagnosis status is incredibly sensitive and should not be seen by anyone except the relevant patient and other authorized persons, including their personal healthcare provider. If a data breach occurs involving diagnosis documentation, this can subject the implicated healthcare organization to intense regulatory consequences.

2. Insurance Documentation

Because patients’ insurance documents typically contain private personal and also financial information, the proper destruction and disposal of this type of documentation is absolutely vital in a healthcare setting. Failure to properly do away with insurance documentation can result in regulatory problems for the healthcare institution, as well as a serious risk to its reputation.

3. Prescription Pads and Pharmaceutical Information

Any document that details the pharmaceutical regimens, prescription histories, or medicinal dosages of patients is highly confidential. Additionally, Rx pads must be stored and, when necessary, destroyed correctly in order to safeguard against the possibility of prescription fraud.

Lost or stolen hospital stationary or blank prescription pads can be used to fraudulently represent medical doctors or the related healthcare institution, which can result in damage to the hospital’s reputation and, even, potentially detrimental legal entanglements.

4. Patient Registration and Payment Forms

In the daily processing of medical patients’ registration and payments, healthcare organizations create records involving a wide range of personally identifying documents. These may include copies of official ID’s, debit and credit cards, patient addresses, email contacts, and phone numbers.

Documents containing this sensitive patient information must be stored securely and properly destroyed once the records are no longer required. If a data breach occurs in which this information is lost or stolen, patients could face a range of potential problems, including identity theft.

5. Treatment Information and Patient Medical Charts

Charts that detail the events, findings, and any treatment regimens advised by patients’ personal healthcare providers should be securely shredded in order to avoid private patient information falling into the wrong hands. A data breach involving the medical charts of a patient is an enormous problem for a medical institution, not only ethically, but legally.

SEAM provides a range effective and secure document shredding services in the Sioux Falls, SD area, including our mobile shredding truck for on-site document destruction. For more information or to request a quote, contact SEAM today at 605-274-7326 (SEAM) or online today.