Computers are as essential to dental offices as dental picks are to examinations. To keep a dental practice running smoothly, dental professionals need to keep their digital records secure and virus-free.
Where do you begin, though? You own a dental practice—you’re supposed to turn patients away from things like cookies! The type of cookies we’re talking about don’t cause cavities, but improper use can cause holes to appear in your data security. Luckily, there’s an easy solution: antivirus software.
Are Dental Practices a Target for Hackers?
The short answer is yes. Dental and healthcare organizations make up about a third of all data security breaches, with the healthcare industry being the most breached sector in the U.S. Since 2009, hackers have compromised more than 21 million health records.
Hacking, theft, unauthorized access or disclosure, lost or stolen mobile devices and laptop computers, and improper records disposal are the causes of most healthcare data breaches. If you think these only happen at large medical centers, think again. More than half of healthcare security breaches happen in organizations with less than 1,000 employees.
HIPAA Compliance
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires health care providers to maintain strict privacy of patient health information and protect patient data from hackers and thieves.
Protecting patient privacy and abiding by federal privacy laws are essential. Not only is that an ethical part of patient care, but dentists who do not comply with HIPAA regulations can face hefty federal and state fines and lawsuits from patients.
Why Antivirus Software Is Essential to Dentistry
Sensitive patient data can range from medical and dental records to financial information. A dental practice has the responsibility to protect its patient data from a data breach. Antivirus software protects your dental practice’s sensitive network data from hackers and virus damage. Antivirus software brings important security benefits to dental practices and data networks.
Protection of Sensitive Information
The last thing a dentist wants to do is endanger patients’ identities and data when browsing the internet or answering emails, but without antivirus software, that can happen without warning. Antivirus software protects patients’ sensitive information. Antivirus firewalls will protect the privacy of patients and the data of a dental practice.
Detects and Removes Malware
Malware, tracking cookies, adware, spyware, and viruses are threats to a dental practice’s network. Antivirus software detects these threats and quarantines them so they can’t work their way through a computer system. Antivirus software that includes firewalls is the most effective way to keep sensitive patient data secure.
HIPAA Compliance
Antivirus software is an essential part of complying with federal patient privacy regulations. Any organization that has access to confidential and personal information must be compliant with HIPAA guidelines. With strong antivirus software, you don’t have to worry about accidentally subjecting your patient’s data to a breach.
Prevention from Infection
Just like you work to keep your dental patients safe from infections, you should do the same for your computer network. Antivirus software prevents a virus from infecting an entire computer system.
Antivirus software acts as a shield against the threats of viruses, spyware, hackers, cookie tracking, and more dangers lurking online. It will also keep your computers secure and running at top speed.
Real-Time Protection
Phishing attempts happen to us all. With antivirus software for dental practices, dentists have real-time protection from dangers like this. That way, one wrong click won’t shut down a dental practice computer system or put sensitive patient information in the hands of hackers.
Up-to-Date Protection
Hackers are working constantly to find new ways and forms of malware to infect computer networks and compromise sensitive data. The good news is that antivirus software for dental practices is updating to provide the highest level of protection for your computer network. A quality antivirus will automatically download updates to meet these threats.
Data Security for Dental Offices
Antivirus software is essential to HIPAA compliance and the protection of your patients’ private data, but it isn’t the only consideration for dental practices. We are the expert in dental IT solutions, so our technology experts understand all the data security needs of dental practices.
Antivirus software designed for dental offices is only one of the features offered by our team. As a full-service IT firm specializing in technology for dental offices, we have some recommendations for how your practice can safeguard data.
Hardware and Software
We can provide your dental practice with new computing systems and security appliances that protect data and help with the efficient operation of dental offices. We have hardware and software solutions to fit the needs of your dental practice.
Security
Strengthening your computer network with HIPAA-compliant solutions from us will help you protect patients’ health and financial information from hackers, malware, and more.
Email Encryption
Communicate with your patients without fearing their private health data falling into the wrong hands with our business-grade email encryption.
HIPAA-Compliant Backup
We offer our clients automated HIPAA-compliant DentaVault backup that works behind the scenes to safeguard practice data.
Rapid Customer Support
Your security and efficient operations are our top priority. That’s why customer service support from Erickson Dental Technologies features fast, helpful service to keep your dental practice running smoothly. Help desk and software support as well as in-person assistance are available.
The Erickson Dental Technologies Difference
IT firms are plentiful, but few are skilled in both technology and the needs of dental practices. However, Erickson Dental Technologies is different. Providing IT and data security services for dental offices is our sole focus. Just as your practice specializes in dentistry, we are the dental IT expert.
Put our team to work protecting sensitive patient data and making your dental practice operations more efficient. Contact Erickson Dental Technologies today for a free, no-obligation assessment. We are ready to help you transform your dental practice with custom computer and data security systems tailored to your unique needs.
