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Identity theft protection (Would you know if there were two of you?)

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Jean Eaton in Blog

Would you know if there were two of you? Identity theft is a growing problem but there are things that you can do to protect yourself.

Identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your consent – to make purchases, take out loans, get medical services – and more! Victims can end up with drained bank accounts, destroyed credit, and the enormous task of fixing the problem.

5 tips to protect yourself from identity theft

  • Set up a schedule to review your credit card and bank statements – monthly, quarterly – and always have a ballpark in mind of your spending history
  • Once you've reviewed your statements, make sure that you've shredded the paper documents that you no longer need (and keep them in a secure place while you do need them!) By shredding your bank and credit card statements, you can prevent thieves from “dumpster-diving” for the easy information.
  • Set up a Google Alert for your name, business name, and other key identifiers (but not your account numbers).  You will receive a listing of whenever your name appears in the internet.
  • Limit the amount of personal information that you share on-line, in stores, and on the forms that you fill out.  Ask why they need your information.
  • Install and update anti-virus and malware protection software on your smartphone. Malware and viruses can access and steal personal information, which can lead to identity theft. ‪

Celebrate Data Privacy Day with Information Managers!

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Concerned about your privacy online? The FREE Data Privacy Day E-course makes it easy for you to enjoy the benefits of the internet while protecting your privacy. 
It's easy, fun and filled with practical tips, tools, and resources! 
Get it before it's gone.

Follow Data Privacy Day around the world using Twitter and #PrivacyAware.

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#DPD15, best practice, Data Privacy Day, identity theft protection, Practical Privacy Coach

Are cookies a good thing?

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Jean Eaton in Blog

Hungry? Cookies may sound good when they're filled with chocolate chips, but when cookies are used to track your online activity, they can result in behavioral tracking that advertisers use to target products to you.

You may be okay with this when it leads you to your next great shoe sale, but if you use a shared computer and search for something more private, the next person to browse the web on your computer may get bombarded with ads for the wedding rings – something you didn't want them to know.

A silly example, but if you use the internet for activities that require more personal information – such as online banking or shopping – cookies can save and remember your account number, credit card number, mailing address, phone number and more.

Privacy Tip – Delete your cookies!

Especially if you use a shared computer or if you are doing activities that require your personal information.

 

Celebrate Data Privacy Day with Information Managers!

Tweet This!

Concerned about your privacy online? The FREE Data Privacy Day E-course makes it easy for you to enjoy the benefits of the internet while protecting your privacy.
It's easy, fun and filled with practical tips, tools, and resources! Get it before it's gone.

Follow Data Privacy Day around the world using Twitter and #PrivacyAware.

We are proud to be a Data Privacy Day Champ!

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#PrivacyAware, best practice, cookies, Data Privacy Day, Practical Privacy Coach

Why Does Data Privacy Matter So Much?

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Jean Eaton in Blog

Data privacy is important. But the real question is, why does data privacy matter so much?

“Our personal information is built with our data that enriches, defines, educates and connects us. Data tells our story.” M. Dennedy, VP & CPO at Cisco.

Celebrate Data Privacy Day with Information Managers!

Tweet This!

Concerned about your privacy online? The FREE Data Privacy Day E-course makes it easy for you to enjoy the benefits of the internet while protecting your privacy.
It's easy, fun and filled with practical tips, tools, and resources! Get it before it's gone.

Follow Data Privacy Day around the world using Twitter and #PrivacyAware.

We are proud to be a Data Privacy Day Champ!

#PrivacyAware, best practice, Data Privacy Day, Practical Privacy Coach, Practice Management Mentor, privacy awareness, training

What’s On Your Privacy & Security List for 2014?

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Jean Eaton in Blog, Past Events

Time to update your Privacy Management Program plan for 2014!

Complimentary Bonus Webinar

Clinic Manager’s Privacy & Security Top 10 List

Includes: Email security, mobile devices, managing vendor agreements, privacy breaches, privacy officer role and responsibility training and more!

Ideal for clinic manager, practice manager, privacy officer in any healthcare setting – a check list of key tasks important to your Privacy Management Program. Resources and links for additional information.

Tuesday January 14th, 2014
12:00 pm—1:00 pm MST

Register Here

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I would also like to be contacted about:

Webinar 2014 Jan 14 at 12 noon MST

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best practice, clinic manager, Health Information Act, healthcare, practice manager, privacy, privacy and security, privacy by design, privacy management program, training

Fax cover page – friend or foe?

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Jean Eaton in Blog

Fax cover pages often act as ‘dividers' to piles of paper – electronic or hard copy.  Many offices still receive faxes by hard copy – and this remains the default assumption as the ‘lowest common denominator'.  I think that the dividers still serve a purpose.

Perhaps more importantly, there is a common practice that the cover page is the identifier of where the document originated, the intended purpose the information was provided, who the information is addressed, and who authorized the sending of the information.

Often the cover page provides clarity to the identify of the individual the information is about.  Many healthcare providers use the cover page as their ‘disclosure log' to meet legislative compliance to clearly document disclosure of health information of a individual.  I don't think it is feasible to add the information to the source document.

The receiver of the information needs this information in order to determine if they will accept the responsibility of collecting the information and the purpose for that information.

Perhaps the better approach is to make the cover page more useful – to both the receiving and sending party – by improving the documentation and adding suggested indexing categories.  This can be easily generated if the sending party is using an EMR.

See also:  Canadian EMR http://blog.canadianemr.ca/canadianemr/2013/11/a-complication-of-paper-faxes.html

best practice, cover pages, disclosure log, EMR index, fax, health information, healthcare, template

Is Your Email Secure?

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Jean Eaton in Blog

Mon, 08/19/2013 – 09:07 — jean

Is your email secure? Backed up? If you suddenly lose your email, calendar, or contact list, this could either be a speed bump in your busy day, or a nightmare that may take days or weeks and a lot of money to recover.

If you use email as temporary communications or your primary method of business, it needs to be managed securely. When you or your staff use email from multiple devices – such as your desktop computer, smart phone, or website – you have additional privacy and security requirements.

Many small businesses have purchased an email software system like Outlook as part of their desktop software. Unfortunately, recent software updates from Microsoft do not include Outlook; you are encouraged instead to purchase MS Office 365 software where all of your email is stored on the MS Cloud.

Some businesses use free email accounts – like gmail or yahoo – where emails, calendars, and contact information is on the public cloud. It is accessible from any internet connection but is difficult to back up to a local device that you can control.
If you use email to transact business – employee records, business contacts, company newsletters, subscriptions, financial or consumer purchases, or personally identifying messaging – you need to meet privacy and security requirements.

Previous versions of Windows Server Small Business Server (SBS) edition included Microsoft Exchange so small businesses could create their own in-house email server. This is not included in Windows Server 2012 Essential (SBS replacement). But small businesses still have a few options:

Buy the Microsoft Exchange Server full licenses, although it can be quite expensive
Sign up to Office 365 which is a hosted / cloud based Microsoft Exchange service from Microsoft with email hosted in the USA. Offices will need to determine their level of risk using personally identifiable information in emails – including sensitive information like credit card, payroll, health information, and other sensitive content – which will be stored out of Canada and subject to US legislation and uses.
Contract with a Canadian hosted Microsoft Exchange service with a Canadian based cloud service provider. This might be a cost effective solution and permit full access to email in an environment which is backed up and more easily accessible.

There are many features offered with a hosted email service:

Collaboration is easy as you have access to group calendaring and scheduling, shared contacts, folders and calendars, tasks and task delegation, as well as public email folders.
Fully functional email software.
Sync capabilities to your smart phone without worrying about viruses, spam, or malware, and mail archiving is automatic. Store as much or as little email as you need and do so without dealing with annoying ads.
Anti-phishing, anti-virus, and malware software are attached to each email connection.
No data ‘left behind' on the device – all data is securely maintained in the hosted email. If a mobile device is lost or stolen, business email is not compromised.

You can apply business rules – for example, emails can be prevented from being forwarded to an employee's home gmail account. Employees can securely work from home.
All business data is maintained by the business. So if your employee wins the lottery and doesn't come back to work, all business emails have been maintained in the hosted email and not on an employee's home computer.
Data is encrypted during the internet transmission.

To get a Hosted Email, you will need internet access with a data plan. You can continue to use your desktop computer and its cable internet access. When you use mobile devices, you can use your mobile provider data plan (Rogers, Bell, Telus, etc), or connect to a trusted WiFi connection.

You are still responsible for good security practices at your location including:

Unique user ID and password on your computer network – including mobile devices – and
Good password management – complex passwords that are changed regularly
Physical safeguards to ensure that your work locations – including mobile locations – are secure from theft

Common sense awareness – don't open suspicious phishing or spam emails

Business-class Microsoft Exchange email hosting services mean you're always in touch and up-to-date, in the office or on the road accessing your mobile email.

Things to look for in a hosted email solution vendor:

Canadian provider with data centres only in Canada (Alberta preferable)
Reputable company with proven track record
Contract including:
Termination clause – when the contract terminates, the vendor will:
Notify you in advance of termination
Allow local back up of your data or data transfer
Validate that your data has been completely and securely deleted from the data centre
Encrypted at the data centre – no one at the data centre can read your information and it is secure from someone else hacking into the data centre to steal your data

Confirm your backup plan for your email accounts.  If you don't have one, create a plan.

INFORMATION MANAGERS
We are an information management company based in Edmonton, Alberta. We specialize in health information management, records management, practice efficiency and workflow consultation as well as privacy and security in the Health Care sector.
We take care of the elephant in the room.

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