When it comes to healthcare, any time saved is critical; especially in the wake of a global pandemic. Now it’s more important than ever that IT and security teams converge to regulate and manage who gets access inside hospitals and healthcare facilities and focus on employee security. Without the right technology coupled with sustainable processes to track employees and visitors, the health and safety of everyone on-premise are compromised. And as the privacy regulations of HIPAA tighten in response to cyberattacks, controlling digital access is now just as important as physical access.
Every day hospitals open their doors to patients, visitors, and staff with a significant physical presence due to the onsite nature of healthcare. Areas with heavy foot traffic are known for having lines and a backlog creating a hassle for the front desk and posing a health and security risk for anyone in the room. A secure visitor management system allows hospital staff to collect visitor data before and during visitation, keep track of people once they have arrived at the facility, and limit access and stay duration, all while staying compliant with the changing privacy regulations. It is crucial to comply with various laws and regulatory policies like HIPAA, mandated by the government and other administrative institutions; non-compliance can mean the loss of labor, money, and reputation.
The Questions We Need to Ask
What are some primary challenges faced by hospitals today?
As we mentioned above, hospitals and healthcare facilities manage a high volume of people on-site each day. This includes conducting security checks, the cost of hiring excess security personnel, and empowering front desk staff to be on top of the flow of visitors and patients, all while staying updated with privacy regulations and meeting management goals for expenses on overhead and labor.
And yet, there are questions that the front desk or security personnel can’t answer upon a visitor’s immediate entry:
- Can a patient receive visitors or are they trying to maintain privacy over their condition?
- Is the visitor in an infectious state?
- Can a staff member receive a visitor or do they even want a visitor during their shift?
- Is the visitor a previous disgruntled employee or on a security watchlist?
What is the Cost of Doing Nothing?
The best insurance is prevention, any doctor can tell you that. According to an article by TechTarget, healthcare breaches are on the rise and it lists the Yuma Regional Medical Center in Arizona as an example; it was recently a victim of a ransomware attack and exposed the data of 700,000 individuals. There is also a growing understanding that “cyber insurance is generally harder to acquire for healthcare organizations.” This is pushing hospitals to improve collaboration between IT and security with enterprise solutions such as visitor management systems and multi-factor authentication. Protecting their workforce along with patient information and privacy is critical to prevent legal issues or loss of reputation, which directly impacts the operating ability of any healthcare organization.
With an HID visitor management system, you can automatically check visitors against internal and external watchlists, reduce processing and wait times, and hide visitor and patient information from public view. You can also provide an efficient check-in experience for large groups, and zero-touch entry can sustain a more sterile environment. The key to a successful visitor management system is its ease of use and how quickly it can be learned by the people utilizing it.
Privacy Compliance and Enterprise Security Solutions
Digital Benefits of a Hospital Visitor Management System
Using a digital visitor management system such as an HID Global VMS solution, you can implement hyper-efficient options such as having visitors digitally sign legal documents and include safety waivers and NDAs upon sign-in. You can also check vaccination status or monitor negative test results, utilize touch-less reception and online pre-registration, and manage various facilities from a central location. You can even offer personalized options such as enforcing restraining orders or on-site visitor preferences for patients. Securing employee access to patient information now becomes more accessible for staff and easier to prevent outside parties with a digital management system combined with HIPAA multi-factor authentication.
On-Premise Defenses and Employee Security
A visitor management system manages physical security solutions, not just digital by implementing an employee security badge policy to identify vendors, contractors, and staff on-premises. You are also able to operate a physical access control system and a building access control system from a central location utilizing smart card technology like the HID iCLASS prox cards.
For large organizations with multiple buildings or campuses in different cities, there is a real fear of staff being locked out of physical and digital spaces, or being unable to authenticate who’s logging into internal systems. Thankfully, iCLASS smart card technology was specifically designed for organizations to regain control; HID iclass prox enables mutual authentication between smart card and reader, encrypted data transfer, and contactless smart card capabilities.
The overall safety within hospitals and healthcare facilities is of the utmost importance. In an uncertain world, you need the ability to proactively manage threats with real-time data.
With a visitor management system, you’ll have a live count of people on the hospital premises in case of an emergency. Having physical safeguards in place and controlled with a visitor management system helps minimize risks, keeps the right people in the right places or out of harm’s way, and secures access to entry points, escape routes, and exits.
Finishing Thoughts
Hospitals and medical facilities cannot take unnecessary risks with any aspect of compliance protocol. ADVANTIDGE offers custom solutions for visitor management, access control with encrypted RFID cards with HID iClass SEOS, computer login, and card printer systems. With a deep knowledge of security best practices, we provide expert guidance for optimal outcomes with your best interest at the forefront of our service.
For a customized assessment with your healthcare organization, contact us for consultation. Let us help you find a better way with a more secure and efficient future for your facilities.
