Showing posts with label information technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label information technology. Show all posts
As
we all know, modern technology has changed nearly every aspect of how we live
our lives, whether for convenience, safety, progression, or pure entertainment.
Given the rapid rate at which technology evolves and alters our landscape, it
can be quite difficult for institutionalized systems to keep up. The Department
of Health and Human Services recently took a giant leap toward modernity,
enacting changes in its HIPPA legislation to compensate for fifteen years of
technological advancement. What does that means for you? Here are some ways in
which the new HIPAA privacy rules address changes in technology:
What is HIPPA?
The Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 mandates
guidelines for the handling of patient records and health information. Every
time you pay a visit to any doctor's office, you are asked to sign a HIPAA
statement, which outlines the terms of your protection. For example, HIPPA
outlines things like with whom your doctor may share your personal medical
information, and for what purposes.
Why the changes?
Simply put,
the business of handling medical records is much different today than it was
fifteen years ago, when the HIPAA bill was first enacted. The Age of
Information has ushered in new ways of recording, organizing, and sharing data,
which means that sensitive information pertaining to your health records is
vulnerable to unauthorized sharing and usage unless there are definitive legal
guidelines in place to protect digital information.
Exactly what changes are being made?
First of all, HIPAA is expanding its reach beyond health care providers, health
insurance claims processors, and healthcare coverage companies to include
contractors and subcontractors that those entities do business with. Modern
technology enables businesses to operate remotely, and to hire employees and
freelancers from all over the globe. This means that your sensitive medical
information may be shared with numerous entities outside of your awareness.
HIPAA now protects your privacy in this regard. Additionally, you may now
request your records electronically, which is a great convenience. The new
HIPAA guidelines have also increased the penalties for security breaches, as
well as redefined how and when security breaches must be reported.
Your
personal medical information is serious business, and those entities charged
with handling your business are under the microscope when it comes to
protecting your privacy, thanks to HIPAA. Now you can rest assured that HIPAA
is up to date in regards to the digital age, so that your sensitive data is
under virtual lock and key. To learn more about what these changes in HIPAA may
mean for you, visit the United States Department of Health and Human Services
website at HHS.gov.
The traditional role of IT
pros is one of task-based troubleshooting: front-line employees, department
heads and executives come to admins with problems they needed solved, and get
placed in the queue. Issues are prioritized, scheduled, balanced, and dealt
with on an as-needed basis, leaving little time for innovation and in many
cases leaving “smaller” problems unsolved. But thanks to the rise of cloud
computing and mobile devices, non-IT areas of companies are starting to solve
their own problems, and this means a shift in the role of information
technology professionals.
A Changing Landscape
According
to a February 1st PC
Advisor article, reporting on
the 4th annual Deloitte Tech Trends Report, five key trends now affect
businesses: the cloud, mobile beyond smartphones and tablets, cyber defense,
social media, and analytics. None of these trends fall neatly into established
IT categories and reside almost entirely off-premise, meaning the “create a
ticket and wait for service” method won’t work. Big data analysis, real time
social media interaction, the need to balance mobile access demands against
security – all are time sensitive, and are forcing IT to adapt their
methodology.
The
result is an IT pro that looks more like the cloud than the server stack:
agile, flexible, and fast. But while technology trends are helping to inform
this change, what’s truly driving adaptation is the increasing rise of
front-line employee efficacy.
The New Paradigm
A
recent Cloud
Tech article points out the
simple truth “the biggest thing standing in the way of enterprise IT cloud
adoption is IT’s unwillingness to accept that business units are already
adopting the cloud.”
In a
shift away from the traditional, these business units now drive tech adoption,
in large part by using technology and cloud-based applications, whether IT pros
want them to or not. Frustrated by problems that don’t get solved, and what
they perceive as antiquated access restrictions, employees circumventing
security measures – and aren’t shy about letting IT know it. Admins may be
called in at the tag end of a project, but more for information than
consultation; more for dictation than permission.
IT
professionals, in turn, have two choices: adapt or fossilize. Those stuck in
the rut of ordering instead of asking will find their departments shrinking,
while those willing to evolve their role can find great success as advocates
for new technology. In addition to technical skills, the next generation of IT
pros must also possess an atypical tech quality: people skills. Again – just
like the cloud – admins must consumerize, adapting the way they deliver
service, considering other departments as customers instead of as items on a
list.
The
result is an IT admin willing to advise rather than admonish – and with the
demise of problem queues, able to focus on forward-facing business issues like
big data mining and application performance instead of simply troubleshooting
technology.
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