Whether you're running a traditional doctor's office, or you're specializing in only one area of medicine, your practice must maintain HIPAA compliance at all times. Maintaining this compliance is one of the most important elements of providing healthcare services and it permeates every aspect of what you do, even document destruction. Here are some of the potential dangers of not using HIPAA compliant shredding services.

What Does HIPAA Require?

The short answer is the HIPAA requires you to ensure that protected client medical information remains confidential and that it is destroyed so that it cannot be deciphered in any way. To break the confidentiality of these records will result in consequences either from employers, professional boards, or even the government. Individuals who are willfully non-compliant may be terminated. Licenses professionals may lose their credentials. In the event that the violation is serious, the people responsible may even face criminal charges. The severity of your consequences will be assessed in accordance with the severity of the violation with the following factors taken into consideration:

• Did you attempt to correct the violation?
• Who was harmed as a result of the violation?
• Did anyone stand to gain from this violation?
• How many people were impacted by the violation?
• Was the violation within the criminal provision of HIPAA?

What Are the Consequences of Violating HIPAA?

If the matter remains at the civil level, you will most likely face a fine. The fines start at $100 per violation and can work their way up to $25,000. However, if the violation occurred without the knowledge of the individuals or practice in question and is corrected within 30 days, then no fines will be given. The important thing to note about this caveat, however, is that ignorance does not excuse compliance. If your practice was not exercising due diligence by having your documents shredded and disposed of by a professional, compliant service, you may still face serious consequences. Medical boards will simply not accept “I didn't know any better” as an answer. In the event that your case escalates to criminal penalties, you will likely be looking at a minimum fine of $50,000 with some fines going as high as $250,000. Jail time and restitution payments are also likely.

Call on BWS, Inc. to Help You with 100% Compliant Shredding

There is too much on the line to risk working with a company that will mishandle your records. When you work with BWS, you can trust in our history of 100% compliance. We'll ensure that your records are in good hands through every step of the process. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.

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