SELECTSHRED | ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD COMPLIANCE – INDIANTOWN SHREDDING PORT ST LUCIE SHREDDING FORT PIERCE SHREDDING PALM CITY SHREDDING STUART SHREDDING JENSEN BEACH SHREDDING PALM BEACH GARDENS SHREDDING OKEECHOBEE SHREDDING

Why is there an urgency to forge an immediate partnership with a secure on-site document destruction/shredding service as federal regulations requiring compliance deadlines draw near? Healthcare organizations have been charged with safeguarding confidential information and protecting patient privacy (thereby avoiding fines or criminal and civil prosecution), but now Medicare physician fee payments will be impacted if electronic health record (EHR) compliance is not met.

Since 1996, medical facilities, doctors’ offices, and hospitals have been required to comply with provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) by protecting patient privacy. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), enacted under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), significantly increased data protection requirements for all healthcare organizations. The HITECH Act includes data breach notification. Any breach of confidentiality such as improperly discarded documents must be reported to the authorities, patients, and the media. The HITECH Act also allows for increased enforcement and fines of up to $1,500,000 per incident. Although the electronic health record compliance requirement was created by the ARRA and included Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for healthcare providers, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 goes further and will reduce Medicare physician fee payments if EHR compliance is not met by early 2015. http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/are-there-penalties-providers-who-don%E2%80%99t-switch-electronic-health-record.

As we work with doctors’ offices that are scanning their patient charts for EHR compliance, we realize that some medical facilities are still not as informed as they should be about the importance of using a third-party vendor to provide shredding services to ensure federal and state compliance with regard to securing and discarding the confidential information of their patients. In 2006, the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) did a survey that found 54% of healthcare organizations outsourced their information destruction needs. The same survey also showed that the trend in outsourcing was increasing. Your best protection is the use of a NAID AAA Certified document destruction company. With a third party vendor, outsourcing your shredding is more secure, it is less expensive, and there is a record of compliance. A document destruction company provides a certificate of destruction after each service.

For doctors and medical facilities in Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Rio, Hobe Sound, Port Salerno, Sewall’s Point, Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Jupiter Island, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens, Indiantown, Okeechobee, and Vero Beach, it is important to understand that a secure on-site NAID AAA Certified document destruction company with a mobile shred truck that arrives at your location and shreds all documents at your location is your greatest ally to help you avoid fines and lost reputation, and to comply with federal regulations. With the implementation of EHR for all healthcare providers, the need for secure document destruction increases—not decreases. Click on the following links for additional information.http://www.isalushealthcare.com/Resources/ElectronicMedicalRecordsMandate.aspx

Richard Kinkead, Owner/President

Gloria Kinkead, Owner/Vice President

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

SELECTSHRED | HOW EFFECTIVE IS YOUR COMMUNICATION? – INDIANTOWN SHREDDING

Effective communication helps us understand each other better.  As we improve our communication in business, just like in personal relationships, we are able to resolve conflicts, build trust and respect. The communication process is no different when dealing with your shredding service.  Is it really only about how much?  What is the lowest price?  Should how low can you go be the greatest concern?

It was with pride that we furnished documents to a prospective customer who wanted to see our qualifications to prove what we claim to do.  This matters!  Why? Knowing who you are entrusting to handle your confidential information is your ultimate responsibility because it will never be enough to say that you used a third party without asking for the proper credentials.  Would you entrust any important job in your home or company without meeting a company representative and requesting documentation about their work history?

Many businesses do not know what happens to their confidential information when the shredding company shows up.  Is it shredded on-site (at your location) or is it taken to a remote facility for sorting, etc.  Don’t maintain the status quo.  Know where your confidential ends up.  Ideally, your confidential documents should be shredded at your location and the shredded materials taken to a recycling facility.  You should also receive a certificate of destruction after each service.

Communication is definitely a two-way street.  It is also our obligation to inform you of what you should be looking for when you look for a shredding service. We are obligated to build a relationship wherein we can explain options that can significantly contribute to the security, efficiency, and profitability of your organization.  Only in going beyond “just give me a number—your lowest price” can we develop this mutually beneficial relationship.

Encourage and build a strong communication relationship with your locally owned and operated mobile/on-site shredding company that is NAID AAA Certified.  A NAID AAA Certified company adheres to strict standards in the document destruction industry. Develop a partnership and form a strong alliance in the ongoing effort to fight identity theft, safeguard confidential information, and protect individual privacy rights.

Richard Kinkead, Owner/President

Gloria Kinkead, Owner/Vice President

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

SELECTSHRED | HOW IS YOUR DATA SECURITY ACCOUNTABILITY RATING? – PORT SAINT LUCIE SHREDDING FORT PIERCE SHREDDING STUART SHREDDING PALM CITY SHREDDING HOBE SOUND SHREDDING PALM BEACH SHREDDING

The March 26, 2014 article from Storage and Destruction Business (SDB) highlighted a recent settlement awarded by a Florida Court in a class-action data breach lawsuit. This information is timely as more regulations are put into place to ensure that customer privacy is not compromised and that businesses are held accountable for safeguarding the confidential information in their custody. As the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) CEO Bob Johnson said in the article, “It means the cost of a data breach will be so high that organizations will have to find a way to avoid them. Ultimately, it means better policies, better employee training, better contracts and greater scrutiny on third-party contracts and indemnification.” http://www.sdbmagazine.com/data-breach-settlement.aspx.

Accountability is paramount in protecting your company in case of an alleged data breach. Everything will rest on what you have in place to prove that you have done everything in your power to avoid data breaches, protect customer privacy, and safeguard the confidential information in your custody. Otherwise, you might face daunting legal issues, fines, destroyed reputation, and even settlement costs. Of course, employee education is the key to having effective data security in place. A NAID AAA Certified company can provide assistance in reviewing and preparing written document destruction policies and procedures. It will assist in staff training for your data security and destruction program.

Compliance training is the law, is good business practice, and is important for employees to understand the process. A process that involves understanding that proper data protection goes beyond shredding paper and also involves protecting data on computer hard drives, copier hard drives, and other storage media. This process also means that each business is responsible for knowing and understanding the qualifications of the   document destruction company that it hires. Businesses are also held accountable for making sure that their own employees receive adequate training about proper data security and destruction practices.

Businesses are required and obligated by federal laws and regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) to safeguard, destroy and securely dispose of confidential information to reduce the risk of consumer fraud and identity theft. Customers, clients, and patients must have their information protected from identity theft and their privacy must also be protected. Collecting customer, client, and patient data brings with it the responsibility to protect that data from its collection and retention until it is no longer needed.

Using a third-party document destruction/shredding partner, such as a NAID AAA Certified company, will help to ensure that you are compliant with federal regulations. A NAID AAA Certified company performs the due diligence to make sure that when you use its service, the security personnel handling your confidential information have undergone rigorous background screening and training. As a professional secure data destruction service provider, a NAID AAA Certified company plays an important role in your Red Flags Rule compliance by assisting you in identifying potential breaches and breach indicators. So stay ahead and have a AAA rating.

Richard Kinkead & Gloria Kinkead

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

SELECTSHRED | YOU DON’T HAVE TO FILL THE MOBILE SHRED TRUCK TO QUALIFY FOR RECURRING SERVICE – PORT ST LUCIE SHREDDING FORT PIERCE SHREDDING STUART SHREDDING PALM CITY SHREDDING HOBE SOUND SHREDDING PALM BEACH SHREDDING

Some prospective customers are reluctant about becoming recurring customers for shredding service. They are often afraid that they will not generate enough paper to qualify for using a shredding service. Instead, they prefer to hold their documents until they have accumulated what they consider a suitable number of boxes of paper to call the shredding company. It is time to dispel that misconception because the simple truth is that you do not have to fill the shred truck. Fill your own container on your own terms and benefit from the security, convenience, and economy of having a recurring shredding service.

It is always a sense of accomplishment when we realize the customer gets it. They understand that they are not paperless but that they need a shredding company more than ever as they embark on the route to a paperless office by scanning their documents and having them securely placed in locked containers until they are ready to be destroyed in a timely manner. Sometimes the call comes in and we hear that the shredder has burned out again or our office has gotten too busy to continue using valuable staff time to feed the office shredder. The best feeling is when we hear that their office has grown and they can no longer deny the unmistakable need for a shredding service.

Whether you are an office of one, ten, or 100, you can benefit from recurring shredding service. The ability to avoid data breaches and major fines by having a secure document destruction service such as a NAID AAA Certified company in place allows your business to be compliant with federal laws and regulations. Having a third party document destruction company is essential for avoiding data breaches because the regular practice of putting shredded paper from the office shredder in the trash increases vulnerability to various dumpster divers. Also, receiving a certificate of destruction for your record after every service is having at your disposal a legal document showing that you have done all that you can do to safeguard the confidential information in your custody, from its collection and retention through its secure and proper disposal. It is also important to note that all shredded materials are recycled into new paper products.

For all of our prospective customers from Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Rio, Hobe Sound, Port Salerno, Sewall’s Point, Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Jupiter Island, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens, Okeechobee, and Vero Beach, it is important to remember that you do not have to fill the shred truck by yourself. As the mobile shred truck makes it daily rounds from one business or residence to the other, the truck becomes full from many sources while making sure that all of your documents are shredded at your location, allowing each business and individual to fight identity theft, avoid fines and lost reputation, and to comply with federal regulations.

The following link shows what will not happen to your business or practice if you have developed a partnership with a secure document destruction company.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/02/26/confidential-patient-records-from-local-dentists-office-found-dumped-in-apple-valley/

Richard Kinkead & Gloria Kinkead

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

SELECTSHRED | FACTS ABOUT FACTA AND IDENTITY THEFT

PORT ST LUCIE SHREDDING FORT PIERCE SHREDDING

STUART SHREDDING PALM CITY SHREDDING

HOBE SOUND SHREDDING PALM BEACH SHREDDING

Identity theft is an ongoing threat that causes us to remain vigilant to protect ourselves, our families, our businesses, and our customers. FACTA requires us to be aware of what we can do to safeguard the confidential information in our custody from retention to disposal. We need to be mindful that beyond the penalties, if confidential information is compromised, our business image suffers and customer loyalty is jeopardized. FACTA simply wants us to realize that when it is no longer necessary to keep confidential documents, they should be destroyed and properly disposed of and should never be simply thrown in the trash.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) is a law enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  FACTA added provisions to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).  FACTA is designed to reduce the risk of identity theft by making provisions for the proper safeguarding and disposal of consumer information. The FACTA Disposal Rule requires that if you acquire consumer information for a business purpose, you must properly destroy that information and take reasonable measures to protect that information even when you need to dispose of it. Although the FTC FACTA Disposal Rule highlights organizations such as lenders, insurers, employers, government agencies, mortgage brokers, and automobile dealers, FACTA applies to almost every person or business in the U.S. An individual or business that violates FACTA rules could face severe penalties: civil liability, class action, federal enforcement, and state enforcement. Penalties could range from hundreds of dollars to the millions.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of each business to ensure that the confidential information in its charge has been securely destroyed and discarded by responsible persons with authorized access. A business should know how its confidential information will be destroyed, where it will be destroyed, who will destroy it, and when it will be destroyed. It is imperative to receive a certificate of destruction after each document destruction service. It is a legal document to show that your records were transferred to the custody of a document destruction service with the credentials to properly destroy and discard your confidential information. Shredding with a third party service such as a NAID AAA Certified company that destroys the confidential documents at your location can help to fight identity theft, protect customer information and privacy, as well as protect a company’s proprietary information and its reputation.

The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) states that “Contracting with a NAID Member to shred all discarded consumer information is the best way to comply with FACTA. Service can be arranged on a schedule that suits any office.  It is the most economical alternative no matter how small or large the need.”

 Follow the link below for more information on the FTC’s response to improper disposal of consumer confidential information.

http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2007/12/company-will-pay-50000-penalty-tossing-consumers-credit-report

Richard Kinkead & Gloria Kinkead

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

SELECTSHRED | MEDICAL COMMUNITY AND DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION

PORT ST LUCIE SHREDDING FORT PIERCE SHREDDING

STUART SHREDDING PALM CITY SHREDDING

HOBE SOUND SHREDDING JENSEN BEACH SHREDDING

The medical community is at the forefront of implementing document destruction procedures such as shredding on a regular schedule and using a third party document destruction vendor. The strict regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and audits make it mandatory for hospitals, medical facilities, and doctors’ offices to adhere to federal regulations to avoid fines that could reach over a million dollars per incident. All health-related organizations are subjected to data breach notification, increased enforcement, and vendor contract requirements.

Some medical offices believe that they are too small or too paperless to utilize a third party document destruction service. Recently, an office manager at a doctor’s office said it best “We are not paperless—we are chartless.” That office is currently in the process of removing all charts off the wall and scanning the information in every chart. Of course, this is something that many medical facilities will be faced with as they comply with Electronic Health Records (EHR) requirements by 2015 to avoid penalties that will be imposed under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/are-there-penalties-providers-who-don’t-switch-electronic-health-record.

Although your office might be in the process of going paperless, the need and expectation to safeguard the confidential information in your custody and to protect patient privacy will remain. Confidential patient information must still be secured and shredded after it has been scanned. Many forms are still being used as patients come into the office on a daily basis. Documents are still being faxed from one office to another. This information must all be secured until shredded. Your best protection is the use of a document destruction service that is NAID AAA Certified. With a third party vendor, outsourcing your shredding is more secure, it is less expensive, and there is a record of compliance. A document destruction company provides a certificate of destruction after each service.

For doctors and medical facilities in Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Rio, Hobe Sound, Port Salerno, Sewall’s Point, Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Jupiter Island, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens, Okeechobee, and Vero Beach, it is important to understand that your office is not too small or too paperless to have a partnership with a secure on-site document destruction company. A mobile shred truck that arrives at your location and shreds all documents at your location is your greatest ally to help you avoid fines and lost reputation, and to comply with federal regulations.

Richard Kinkead & Gloria Kinkead

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com