KIRKLAND, WA, July 14, 2006 - The security of hospitals is a growing concern; further, HIPAA requirements now mandate a high level of visitor security and monitoring. Vuetura Corporation offers a solution, VueturaTrac Visitor, to meet these security needs by tracking the visitors who enter an organization. Through ID scanning, photo capture, badge printing, pre-registration and more, it is possible for a hospital to know who is in the building.
HIPAA Compliance
On February 16th, 2006 a final rule of enforcement was issued for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA (www.hippadvisory.com). It is now necessary for all members of an enterprise workforce to be trained on the requirements pertaining to their role (www.hippaadvisory.com/action). There are specific guidelines regarding creation of a visitor security policy which each organization must meet. An enforcement rule sets specific monetary penalties and establishes procedures for investigating the violation of HIPAA requirements (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIPAA).
Meeting HIPAA Requirements for Visitor and ConTrac™or Security
A HIPAA requirement states that there be ??(limited access) (formal documented policies and procedures to be followed to limit physical access to an entity while ensuring that properly authorized access is allowed)?? Section (vii) specifically says that there must be procedures to sign in visitors, provide escorts, and formally document procedures governing the reception and hosting of visitors. (www.aamc.org/members/gir/gasp/securitysectiontwo.pdf, 41).
In addition, a hospital organization must:
- ?Supervise or clear conTrac™ors and other visitors to secure areas, and record their date and time of entry and departure.
- Grant conTrac™ors and visitors access only for specific, authorized purposes and issue them with instructions on the security requirements of the area and on emergency procedures.
- Require all workforce members to wear some form of visible identification and encourage them to challenge unescorted strangers and anyone not wearing visible identification (AAMC, 42).?
Vuetura products assist hospital organizations in maintaining the utmost level of physical security for visitors, vendors, and conTrac™ors through increasing the visibility and accountability of these individuals.
Supervise and Clear ConTrac™ors and other visitors?
Through ID scanning and tracking of these persons, hospital personnel know exactly who is in their facility. ID Scanning provides verification of the individual visiting, and limits the chance of unwanted individuals gaining entry. In addition, Vuetura's watch system can tie into any list of non-admit individuals and provide an alert upon attempted check-in of any of these persons.
Issue visitors instructions on the security requirements and emergency procedures of an area?
Not only does the system provide identification for all those desiring entry into the facility, but signature capture ensures that these individuals have read and signed off on requirements and emergency procedures. These requirements can be printed on the back of a badge to remind visitors of the procedures they have agreed to.
Require all workforce members to wear some form of visible identification?
Badging all visitors in an important step in the security process. Through photograph capture and personalized badges, positive identification can be ensured. Escort required markers can also be printed on badges for increased visibility. Unique barcodes assigned to each badge can be scanned throughout the building capturing a time and date stamp for each individual scan. With reporting functionality, it is possible to see visitor patterns, identify who is in the building at all times, and view who they are coming to visit.
VueturaTrac Package
In addition to the visitor tracking software, Vuetura offers an extensive package tracking application. For added security, this program tracks all in-bound parcels within an organization.
Vuetura Tracks In-Bound Packages
VueturaTrac package offers many features including barcode scanning, automatic email notification, security alerts, photograph capture, reporting, signature capture, and more. The system provides delivery transparency by tracking a package from the moment it is received at the organization to the point where it is delivered to the intended recipient.
Please contact Vuetura at (425) 867-0363 to learn more about meeting HIPAA requirements through Vuetura's tracking software.