Medical, dental and other healthcare offices are some of the best recurring accounts a shred company can win. They also come with more questions, because HIPAA, the federal health privacy law, makes them responsible for protecting patient information until it's destroyed.
Not legal advice
The business associate agreement
When a vendor handles protected health information on behalf of a healthcare provider, HIPAA generally requires a business associate agreement (BAA) between them. Many healthcare clients will send you one before the first pickup. It typically commits you to safeguarding the information, reporting incidents and returning or destroying records properly. Read it carefully, and keep a signed copy with the customer's records.
What healthcare clients usually want to see
- Locked containers in their office, with only your staff holding keys
- Employees who are background-checked and have signed confidentiality agreements
- A certificate of destruction for every service, sent promptly and kept on file
- For off-site service, a clear chain of custody from their office to your shredder
- Consistent, on-time service, because overflowing bins lead to paper in the regular trash
- Fast answers when their compliance officer asks for a year of certificates
Win the account with your paperwork
Healthcare office managers compare vendors on trust more than price. A sample certificate, a written description of your chain of custody and a quick turnaround on their BAA often matter more than a few dollars per bin.
Other laws your clients may mention
- The FACTA Disposal Rule, which covers disposing of consumer report information
- The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), which applies to financial institutions
- State data-disposal laws, which vary from state to state
How Trakro helps
Trakro emails each certificate to the site's certificate contacts as soon as the stop is done, keeps every certificate and correction on file, and records the chain of custody for off-site work. When a client asks for last year's certificates, you can find them by customer, site and date.
Let Trakro handle the paperwork.
Certificates, chain of custody and invoices, built from every stop.