Physicians Practice Offers BYOD Guidance to Avoid HIPAA Violations

NORWALK, Conn., Feb. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- UBM Medica US announces that Physicians Practice, the leading online community for physicians, features special coverage of BYOD at medical practices. With more and more physicians and other healthcare employees using their personal smartphones for business purposes, the threat of "bring your own device" (BYOD) is becoming larger for medical practices.

As the number of personal devices — including smartphones and tablets — increases at practices nationwide, so does the potential for HIPAA violations and other legal issues. According to a March 2013 study by Cisco, while 89 percent of U.S. healthcare workers use their personal smartphones for work, 41 percent of these devices are not password protected. Furthermore, the study found that 53 percent of healthcare workers utilize unsecured Wi-Fi networks with their smartphones.

So how do medical practices balance the flexibility of letting staff use their own devices with the crucial need to protect patient information?

Appearing online and in the March 2014 issue of Physicians Practice, we ask the experts how to best set policies and procedures to facilitate BYOD in medical practices, while providing adequate patient privacy and security. Readers can fashion their own BYOD policies by reading about St. John Providence Health System in Detroit, a healthcare system that aims to lessen the likelihood of leaked protected health information (PHI). Representatives of multispecialty group Community Care of Albany, N.Y., also share their unique twist on BYOD — providing practice-approved devices to their physicians instead.

Physicians Practice also offers a slideshow of five tablets tailored specifically to physicians' BYOD security needs, in order to protect patient data while also offering mobile access to doctors.

"The boom of mobile health and smart devices being used by today's physicians is great, but like most innovations, there is risk in the reward," said Keith L. Martin, group editorial director for Physicians Practice. "Medical practices need to be sure they are doing everything they can to avoid a costly HIPAA violation and while not paying for a physician's or staff member's mobile device seems like a clear win, there needs to be some structure in place to protect both the individual and the office as a whole."

About UBM Medica US
Addressing today's healthcare information needs, UBM Medica US, delivers strategic, integrated communications solutions and comprehensive reach -- online, in print, via custom programs and live events. Improving the effectiveness of healthcare through information and education, UBM Medica US provides unbiased clinical, practical, and business information for physicians, providers and payers resulting in improved quality of care for patients around the world. Through journals, magazines, online communities, live and digital events, and other valuable resources, UBM Medica US also delivers comprehensive communication solutions for the pharmaceutical and related industries. Online communities include CancerNetwork.com, ConsultantLive.com, DiagnosticImaging.com, RheumatologyNetwork.com, OBGYN.net, PhysiciansPractice.com, PsychiatricTimes.com and SearchMedica.com. UBM Medica US is part of UBM Connect which, through a range of aligned interactive environments, both physical and digital – increases business effectiveness for both customers and audiences through meaningful experiences, knowledge and connections.  Headquartered in New York, UBM Connect brings together UBM's healthcare business, UBM Medica US; UBM Canon's advanced design and manufacturing event, online and print brands; UBM Connect New York's catering, cruise shipping, customer management, and fine, specialty and custom chemical communities; and UBM Mexico's concrete show.  For more information, visit www.UBMMedicaUS.com.

About UBM plc
UBM plc is a global events-led marketing services and communications company.  We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing news and specialist content.  Our 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organized into expert teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

For more information, go to www.ubm.com; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc to get the latest UBM corporate news.

Media contact:
Jason J. Golden
Content Marketing Manager
203-523-7040
[email protected]

SOURCE UBM Medica US

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