As patients sign confidentiality documents and schedule appointments, paperwork can pile quickly for your staff. Confidential patient data and medical records require proper handling to comply with privacy laws and protect your patients from identity theft. Prevent data breaches by using these five methods for disposing of medical documents.
1. Shred Documents With an Industrial Shredder
A high-quality paper shredder is one of the most efficient ways to dispose of sensitive medical documents. When picking a new machine for the office, choose a heavy-duty shredder designed with unique features like cross cut shredders and micro-cut shredders. These machines convert documents into small, unreadable pieces, so that no one can reconstruct the information.
2. Use Professional Shredding Services
If your office generates large volumes of paperwork, hiring a professional shredding company may be more cost-effective and efficient for your business. These services often provide secure disposal bins and regularly collect your documents for destruction. Make sure to choose a company that complies with privacy regulations and provides a certificate of destruction for your records.
3. Implement a Secure Burning Process
Burning documents in a controlled, legal manner can be a great method for disposing of medical documents, particularly for facilities located in rural areas without access to shredding services. However, be sure your company follows local laws regarding open burning and takes the necessary safety precautions to avoid environmental or legal issues.
4. Utilize Pulping or Degaussing Techniques
For large-scale disposal, consider methods like pulping, which breaks documents down into a slurry, or degaussing if they contain magnetic storage media. These industrial processes destroy the documents entirely and leave no chance for reconstruction. For offices with bulky paperwork or mixed media, using these techniques will effectively remove old documents without compromising patient data.
5. Digitize Records and Use Secure Deletion for Electronic Data
Before disposal, determine if your staff digitized any physical documents. Converting files into digital formats reduces the need for physical storage and improves security with encryption features. For existing electronic files, use secure deletion software or overwrite the data multiple times to prevent recovery.
Without a proper paper shredder in the office, unauthorized personnel may easily access confidential information and breach your company’s data. If you need to upgrade your office document shredder for heavy-duty disposal, browse our collection at Capital Shredder! With these industrial paper destroyers, you’ll be able to manage your medical facility with ease.