Contributed by Ariane Siegel, General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer, OntarioMD
In a busy primary care practice, it is critical that your computer hardware and software are up to date with the latest security updates. This task is essential to helping protect patients’ personal health information. Recently, Microsoft reminded users that Windows 7, one of its most-used operating systems, will no longer be supported as of January 14, 2020. This means that security updates for Windows 7 will no longer be issued, which may make an EMR vulnerable to being exploited. If you’re one of the many clinicians who use Windows 7 in your practice, it’s critical that you act before Windows 7 support ends, to avoid putting your system and patient health information at risk of cyberattack. Under Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, physicians, as health information custodians (HICs), have a legal obligation to safeguard against unauthorized collection, use and disclosure of personal health information. Ensuring your practice technology is current can help physicians meet this obligation. Now may also be a good time to review your IT plan and ensure all applicable vendor-issued system and security patches are integrated.
If your practice currently uses Windows 7, you may also want to consider an upgrade to Windows 10, the latest Microsoft operating system. OntarioMD has recently published a Bulletin on how to check if your current technology is Windows 10-compatible, why it’s essential that you use the latest technology to protect patient information from cyberattacks and options for support. You may also wish to contact the Ontario Medical Association to learn about the work it’s doing to find practical solutions that support physicians and their practices from cyberthreats.
IT and EMR maintenance needs are best left to IT professionals. Obtaining assistance from an IT professional will help ensure your practice technology stays up-to-date and enables clinicians to focus primarily on patient care. OntarioMD is also here to support you. You can connect with an OntarioMD Practice Advisor for advice any time at support@ontariomd.com. If you’d like to learn more about privacy and security tips and best practices to protect your patients and your practice, take OntarioMD’s complimentary Privacy and Security Training Module. It’s comprehensive, available online and takes less than 60 minutes to complete. Physicians who complete the Module are eligible for 2 Mainpro+ credits.
