Have you considered printer compliance in your practice? From my experience, most practices have an average of 3 printers per 10 workstations. That is quite a bit. It is important that you look into printer compliance. Various printers have different functionality, therefore should be taken in to consideration, and documented. Below are some great tips in looking at the printers in your office, and making sure they meet the proper compliance standards.

Printer Compliance Tips

  1. Make sure documents are not left on the printer or fax machine. This is a huge cause of ePHI getting into the wrong hands.
  2. Verify the location of your printers. Do not leave them in unattended areas.
  3. Does your printer also serve as your copier? Does it have a hard drive? If so, we need to consider how you would dispose if that.
  4. Are you transmissions secure on your MFC devices.
  5. Do you get confirmation of faxes on your MFC devices?

Printers are constantly overlooked. The seem to be the forgotten device in the office, yet they are extremely important.

 

Tier3MD is an IT support group for medical practices.