Prioritize Software Security With These Tips

If you use Medicaid billing software at your company, you have an efficient and accurate way to file claims and ultimately reduce the amount of time spent on sorting and inputting data. Billing software is a worthwhile investment, but it comes with its challenges. When you use software and mobile applications to run your business, there’s always a level of concern regarding the security of those programs. Whether you invested in a third-party system or created your own, there are some things you should do to keep security a top priority at your business. 

How to Prioritize Software Security

There are a few things you should do to make sure the billing software at your company is safe and secure. The initial excitement of implementing software might overshadow the importance of security, but it’s imperative that you make it a priority among your team. Here are a few ways you can make sure you’re investing in and actively using secure software. 

Invest in Highly Secure Software

This first tip is obvious, but it still needs to be said: if you’re planning on purchasing billing software, make sure the product you’re investing in is highly secure. When you’re searching for a platform that meets your needs, do a deep dive into your options, and see if they boast about their security on their websites. If they don’t, this could be a red flag. Security is a huge deal for software providers, so if they aren’t advertising their product as one of the safest options on the market, it’s time to ask questions. When you book a demo with a potential software candidate, ask them about their security measures, and what they do to guarantee that your data is secure. This isn’t an aspect of software that you can compromise on, so find out as much as you can ahead of time. 

Conduct Security Training With Your Employees

Having a secure system is the first step; making sure your employees are following security protocols is the next. Once you have your system implemented, get your team together and discuss security measures. In order to be HIPAA compliant and keep your data protected, there are a few things you’ll need to do. These are just some of the things you should make sure your employees understand from the start:

• Don’t share passwords with one another. No matter how much one employee might trust another, this is a security risk. It’s easy to keep your password to yourself, and it enhances your security. 

• Periodically change passwords. Every employee should regularly update their password to something new, whether that’s every month or once a quarter. The longer the same passwords are in play, the more likely it is that you’ll experience a security breach. 

• Enable an auto lock feature on every computer. After a specified period of inactivity, the computer should lock to optimize safety. 

• Require two-factor authentication for sign-ins. When a team member logs in to the software system, you should have a two-factor process set up where they enter their password and then are required to enter another code, which they could receive by email or text message. 

Implement Least Privilege Access

Implementing this practice at your company means your employees have access only to the amount of data that is needed to do their job. This isn’t a measure put into place to punish your employees or suggest that you don’t trust them. Rather, it exists to protect sensitive data and keep access to a need-to-know basis. Interns and secretaries, for instance, won’t need the same level of access that medical billers and coders will need. This is an easy and effective way to boost security at your practice and keep everyone focused on their jobs. 

Outline Policies and Make Them Clear to Your Team

The best way to ensure success at your company is to create structure. If people don’t know what protocols they should be following, you’re setting your team up for failure. First, develop a concise but detailed policies and procedure document detailing security measures and how those relate to in-office behavior and software activity. Then, distribute that document to everyone at your company, and have them sign off that they have read and thoroughly understand it. It’s also a good idea to hold a staff meeting and discuss the policies and procedures in person, inviting your team to ask any questions. You should also meet with any new employees and go through these policies to make sure they understand how things work from the beginning. 

Invest in Software You Can Trust

If you don’t have software at your business yet, you now know what your next business move should be. Billing software allows you to submit claims faster and with fewer errors. It also lets you receive reimbursements in a timely manner, so you get every penny you’re owed and keep meeting your goals. If you’re ready to boost security at your practice, it’s time to invest in Medicaid insurance billing software. Schedule your free demo with BillPro today.