How to Ensure Data Security in General Transcription
What is the number one question that clients ask to ensure security in transcription?
“I have sensitive data. How can you guarantee that my data is secure?”
Security and confidentiality have always been the top two priorities of users. Fortunately, with the advent of technology, there are ways to make sure that a customer’s data is secure and confidential.
With a lot of service providers claiming that they have a full understanding of data privacy and security, how can you check if they indeed warrant security and confidentiality? Choosing a transcription service that implements strict measures when it comes to safeguarding data might be a little overwhelming, but it can be done.
These are the considerations to ensure your transcripts are handled securely
when looking for a transcription service:
Oath of Confidentiality.
All employees of the service provider – not just transcriptionists – should take an oath of confidentiality as often as possible. The staff should also sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. These measures will remind them of their responsibility of keeping highly sensitive information in confidence. These will also jog their memory about the repercussions of not adhering to the company’s security processes.
International Accreditation.
ISO accreditations could also be useful when looking for a legitimate service provider. The two most important accreditations that a transcription service should have are ISO 27001 and ISO 9001. The first accreditation is about information security management and the latter is about general management systems. Combining these two, you can ensure data security in general transcription.
GDPR and HIPAA Compliance.
An integral part of protection and security in any transcription service provider is the compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). GDPR is imposed by the European Union (EU) on organizations around the world to protect the personal data, privacy, and security of its citizens. HIPAA safeguards all sensitive health and medical information that is held in electronic form. These two policies warrant a general transcription service that handles data with strict privacy restrictions and security measures.
Self-Regulation and Audit.
In case of a security breach, a company should possess self-regulatory measures that will support and strengthen all their security and confidentiality rules towards their employees. You can ask about measures they take in case of a breach - how do they conduct the investigation? What is the reporting process in case of a breach? How do they ensure that a breach does not happen? Does the company undergo external audits by independent parties? These are just some questions to ask to gauge if the service provider adheres to security standards and protocols.
Secure Server and Storage Platform.
Still in compliance with the GDPR, a reliable transcription service should have reasonable retention or storage policies using a secure platform. You should be able to request deletion of your files whenever you feel the need, and they should be able to guarantee that they can accomplish this thoroughly. This is to prevent possible recovery of any of your data that you do not want to be retained. More so, the platform should only be accessed by the authorized transcription team using unique accounts and passwords to avoid mishandling of sensitive information or gross negligence. These passwords will be overseen by a Chief Confidentiality Officer on a secured platform.
There are several benefits of hiring a secure general transcription service for your business. Here at TranscriptionWing, we value all of our clients’ transcription needs and overall customer experience, especially data privacy and security.
