Central Data Storage Educates Dentists

The 87th Greater New York Dental Meeting featured hundreds of dental educators and nearly 20,000 dentists. Visitors had the opportunity to see the latest in technology for today’s dental profession.

Central Data Storage (CDS), the online computer backup company that leverages dental offices existing internet connectivity to protect critical data off-site, was on the exhibit floor and made the most of the four-day event by educating dentists and dental staff with information concerning HIPAA and HITECH regulations and its relation to proper off-site data storage security.

Improper management of data is an ongoing issue for many dental offices. "Too often doctors are misinformed with regards to protecting their patient data," said Director of Business Development Craig Condello. "Simply saving data to an external hard drive or disk is not enough as failure of these backup methods happens all the time. We have documented many of these. Couple this with the lack of encryption and potential for corruption puts many offices in a bind during even a small crisis," Condello said.

HIPAA requires patient information to have a layer of encryption when taken off-site to avoid the potential of data breach which has become an all too common problem. HITECH has added emphasis on HIPAA enforcement as well. The Office of Civil Rights Enforcement will now receive proceeds of any civil fine endowed to a medical office for lack of compliance. This incentive puts a bulls-eye on any office that fails to secure data properly.

The New York dental meeting located at the Javits Convention Center which is held every year and receives national and international fanfare gave many dentists and dental staff an opportunity to learn about data storage protection.