With the increasing number of healthcare institutions moving to electronic medical records, electronic billing and general electronic usage across their campuses, the environment and public health benefit from those businesses recycling their electronic waste. Unfortunately, removing electronics that contain patient information is not as easy as just having the electronics picked up. The following are some things to keep in mind before disposing or recycling your no longer needed medical electronic equipment and stay in line with HIPPA guidelines.
HIPAA Guidelines
The healthcare institution should already have in place policies and procedures for handling the disposal of electronic waste containing protected health information (PHI). The US Department of Health and Human Services has some stringent rules for the use of PHI and the proper disposal of media containing PHI. PHI contains any or all of the following:
- Social security number
- Credit or debit card numbers
- Diagnosis
- Name
- Date of birth
- Driver’s license number
- Treatment information
Additionally, information that could harm a person’s reputation or lead to discrimination, employment problems or identity theft follows the same PHI disposal requirements. Beyond assessing potential risks for PHI exposure, institutions may have additional requirements imposed by state or local governments for maintaining records for a certain period of time after a business has dissolved. (Clonazepam) Training those in charge of disposing or handling the disposal of PHI containing media should be part of any healthcare institution’s HIPAA compliance policies and procedures.
Acceptable Disposal Methods
Ensuring that PHI is safeguarded even during disposal is essential to prevent fines and audits by the Department of Health and Human Services. Their website offer some examples of disposal methods for handling the disposal of PHI containing items. While not an exhaustive list, some examples of disposal related to electronic media include:
- Purging by disrupting the recorded magnetic domains using a strong magnetic field on the media, also known as degaussing
- Destroying by shredding, disintegration, incineration, melting or pulverization
- Clearing by overwriting non-sensitive data over PHI using hardware or software products
Following the above guidelines and any others your institution has implemented prior to recycling the electronic media helps keep your institution HIPAA compliant while not adding additional waste and chemicals to local landfills. In addition, looking to see what other health institutions have done to stay HIPAA compliant when disposing of electronic media can help you alter your current policies and procedures for more exhaustive PHI protection. TechWaste Recycling offers hospitals free pick-up for their electronic waste. Give us a call and help us keep electronics from causing problems for public health and our environment.
TechWaste Recycling directly services all of Southern California and provides pickup services to its facilities from medical and health care facilities nationwide. Visit TechWaste Recycling’s website at www.techwasterecycling.com to schedule a pickup that works for your convenience and schedule.
Learn more about TechWaste’s medical equipment disposal and recycling here: Medical Equipment Recycling and Decommissioning
Contact Info:
Richard Steffens
1940 E. Occidental street
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 866-637-8469
