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HIPAA COMPLIANCE AND DIGITAL OFFICE EQUIPMENT
Passed by Congress in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) was enacted with three primary goals: improve healthcare insurance; improve
efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare systems; and ensure privacy of individual patient
information.
HIPAA requires healthcare institutions to protect the privacy of patient information, particularly
when utilizing electronic communications. With the privacy requirements of HIPAA
going into effect in April 2003, this aspect raises the most questions regarding supposed
compliance of digital multifunction office equipment.
Regarding “compliance” of digital multifunction equipment and software solutions:
• Hardware and software in and of themselves cannot be “HIPAA compliant.”
• Being “HIPAA compliant” is an organizational obligation, not a technical specification.
• HIPAA is technology-neutral, with no specific technology required or endorsed.
• A given software solution or hardware item can be a legitimate part of an organization’s HIPAA compliance, but the determination of compliance is not made at that level.
MURATEC SOLUTION
Muratec multifunction office equipment and software solutions can be integral parts of an
organization’s efforts toward becoming HIPAA compliant. For example:
• Muratec multifunction fax machines have a “Secure RX” feature which allows incoming
fax documents to sit in memory until a password is entered.
• The Muratec OfficeBridgeTM digital document distribution solution gives users the ability
to route incoming faxes to personal folders which are password protected.
• Selected Muratec units offer “secure transmit” and “closed network” features which
ensure fax transmissions are sent and received between designated machines only.
These examples demonstrate how a healthcare facility can utilize Muratec digital office
equipment and software solutions to become “HIPAA compliant” as an organization. By
limiting access to patient information to authorized individuals, the privacy of patient information
is enhanced.
For more information about how Muratec digital office equipment and software solutions
can contribute to HIPAA compliance, contact your authorized Muratec dealer or Muratec
area sales manager.
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This Point of View document is for general information purposes only and does not represent legal advice or legal opinion. |
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