Take A Balanced Approach To Prevent Medical Tablet Theft

Computer tablet theft and iPad theft in hospitals are an increasing threat as the use of personal hand-held computers grows more prevalent in the medical field. There are new applications for computer tablets to improve the care of patients on a regular basis. I recently came across a new use for computer tablets that aids in the prevention of fall accidents in hospitals. This new technology involves special socks with sensors in them that monitor the movements of a patient. In a story from Cincinnati.com, Dec. 8, 2017 by Anne Saker, titled “How can we prevent falls? Hospitals could find an answer in Cinc-designed ‘smart’ socks”, Ms. Saker reports on a patient in a Madison County hospital. The patient was wearing a pair of Palarum socks, “made by the renowned French textile company Perrin” designed to help prevent patient falls before they can happen. The socks have sensors in them that can send a signal to a nurse monitoring the patient who is wearing the socks. “Using a Palarum tablet computer in a patient room or at a main desk, a nurse tells the monitor about the patient, including weight…When the socks detect downward pressure past a certain threshold, the filaments in the fabric signal the monitor on the sock. The wireless alarm goes out to the three nurses closest to the patient.”     https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/12/08/how-can-we-prevent-falls-hospitals-find-answer-cincinnati-designed-smart-socks/904983001/Sensor socks and a computer tablet that can save patients from potential falls, that is incredible! I hope you noticed as I did when reading the article, the nurse tells the monitor about the patient. That means private patient data is in these computers and therein lies to risks associated with mobile device theft and i-Pad theft in hospitals. Bill Bregar, the CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) recognizes the dangers associated with computer theft from medical facilities of all types and has an answer for them with the Bug Tag.
     

A simple design, the Bug Tag is a small device that uses electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology to prevent theft. The tag is attached directly to the back of a mobile computing device with an adhesive sled. The facility has EAS pedestals installed at all entrances and exits (and even outside of restrooms if so desired) and in the event of an attempted tablet theft the Bug Tag sends out a signal that sets off alarms in the pedestals before the perpetrator even gets to the door to walk out. The lights and alarms of the pedestals alert employees who respond and recover the tablet or i-Pad. Concerned that a criminal could just remove a tag from a unit and still commit i-Pad theft? No need to worry, the tags have tamper alarms built in that will sound their own warning if a criminal tried to pull one off of a device. The wonderful part about the use of these anti-theft devices is that they allow for total freedom of movement within a facility for care providers they just keep the devices from being taken out.
     

There a readers who may be scoffing at the idea that a tablet theft is really all that big a deal. Most hospitals and clinics are going to encrypt their devices, right? Besides, we are talking about socks here, how much information can a criminal get other than a patient’s shoe size? There are several things readers should consider. First, we are only addressing one use of mobile devices in the medical field here. The proliferation of handheld computers is enormous in medicine. They are being used by doctors to video conference to remote locals to aid in treatment of patients. They are being used by doctors and nurses to check on patients rather than carrying the old charts around. It wasn’t long ago I was in a hospital emergency room and the doctors were doing rounds with interns carrying i-Pads or tablets and discussing patient statuses. I have signed into a waiting room at a care clinic on an i-Pad rather than registering with the old forms. All of that patient information becomes available to criminals when a tablet theft or i-pad theft takes place. If encryption were a cure all then I would ask the skeptics, why does DHHS levy severe fines on medical facilities that have mobile and computer devices stolen? Would it be necessary to penalize if there were no risk of patient data loss?
       

Whether it is protecting a patient using special balance socks and a computing device or any other medical computer using a Bug Tag is a step in the right direction. Let LPSI help you get started in preventing tablet theft with EAS pedestals and tags.

Get more information on a Bug Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

Don’t Have A Heart Attack Over The Use Of Alpha Bug Tags To Protect Mobile Medical Devices From Theft, EAS Won’t Interfere With Pacemakers

When I worked as a Retail Loss Prevention Manager our store was located in a place where retirees would often move to for the winter in order to escape the cold.  One of the questions I was asked on a fairly regular basis was if our electronic article surveillance (EAS) system would interfere with pacemakers. Customers were concerned about the tags we used but they were really fearful of the EAS pedestals since they were located right at the doors to the building. I would try to reassure them that there was no health concerns associated with the system and after a few minutes that was usually enough to allay any trepidations the customers might have had. There were some though that no matter how much time I spent trying to reassure them they could not get over that hurdle. That is why the question was posed to me more often than it may have been to a peer somewhere else. Studies have been done that show there is minimal chance EAS could interfere with pacemakers and similar medical devices. Stores aren’t the only place the technology is used.  It is important for healthcare providers to understand this as they consider the need to protect mobile medical devices from tablet theft of i-Pad theft. 
     

Many medical offices from general practitioners to dentists are realizing the advantages of using mobile technology to improve patient care, share information with patients and protect records. Loose papers and stray clipboards are slowly being replaced with an i-Pad or a tablet. Patients are now using these devices to register new accounts including all of their personal information but now it is quickly accessed at the touch of a button. The down side is that if one of these mobile devices is stolen there is a chance client information can be accessed by criminals. Many offices that have made the switch to technology over paper have taken steps to protect the mobile units with an Alpha Bug Tag attached to a device and set up EAS towers at the doors. When protected devices are carried into the detection field of the towers, alarms alert employees and who then prevent an i-Pad theft from taking place. The tags are also tamper proof which prevents a thief from being able to remove an anti-theft device and steal a tablet. Attempts to pry a tag off of a device sets off an alarm built into the Alpha Bug Tag again foiling efforts of someone trying to steal protected information.
     

The safety of electronic article surveillance on pacemakers has been documented many times. For instance the American Heart Association on their website www.heart.org states, “Interactions with EAS systems are unlikely to cause clinically significant symptoms in most patients.” On the other hand, with regard to MP3 players the website says, “Most contain a magnetic substance and research has documented that placing the headphones too close to the pacemaker caused interference.”  Another concern is raised with power- generating equipment, arc welding equipment and powerful magnets. The site continues, “Such as found in some medical devices, heavy equipment or motors can inhibit pulse generators.” On their website, hopkinsmedicine.org, Johns Hopkins Hospital article for potential patients, “Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) Insertion” provides the caution, “Anti-Theft systems or electronic article surveillance (EAS) used in department stores may interact with an ICD. The American Heart Association recommends you should not lean on or stand in this equipment but should pass quickly through the detection system.” 
     

There is potentially more risk involved in a visit to a doctor’s office or hospital from the medical equipment in those facilities than that associated with EAS. The American Heart Association warns of interference from MRI’s, Radio Frequency Ablation (a medical procedure that uses radio waves to manage a variety of arrhythmias) and Short-wave or microwave diathermy (a medical procedure that uses high-frequency, high-intensity signals for physical therapy). Each of these can disrupt or damage the pacemaker a patient is carrying. 
     

The point I am making is that medical providers should adapt mobile devices in the practice to improve service and save time. Any concern over i-Pad theft or tablet theft and the compromise of protected patient information can be laid to rest with the use of Alpha Bug Tags and EAS technology. Patients who may have pacemakers need not worry about interference with their devices.

Need information on Alpha Bug Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.

The Growth Of First-Responders And Their Communications Has Improved Patient Care But i-Pad Theft Is A New Concern For The Hospitals That Serve Them

As a child I grew up watching the television series Emergency! The show was about firemen and what we would call today, paramedics. The main characters would respond to fires, vehicle crashes, all of the incidents you would expect fire fighters to respond to. The thing that was unique back in those years was that the firefighters/paramedics were administering first aid and life support service to keep patients/victims alive. The main characters, John and Roy would evaluate a patient and call Rampart General Hospital and give a description of their patient’s condition. Emergency room staff doctors and nurses would then provide guidance over the radio on treatments. Today, paramedics and emergency medical technicians can use i-Pads and Tablets to consult with doctors and doctors can see the condition of the patient, as well as get the first-hand description from the care giver on scene. This does bring up one concern and that is the potential of i-Pad theft or medical tablet theft at the hospital.

The issue of medical i-Pad theft or tablet theft is very real. When such devices are stolen there is a risk of patient information compromise, placing in jeopardy patient health information, billing information (including insurance provider account and group numbers), prescription medication information and more. There is a black market where such information is sold and the information is then used for fraudulent purposes and identity theft. A facility that experiences a breach or potential breach of patient information is subject to investigations and fines levied by the Department of Health and Human Services. So how can theft be prevented? By using a Bug Tag on mobile medical devices that are maintained in hospitals, clinics and medical facilities. The Bug Tag is an anti-theft device that uses radio frequency (rf) waves to interact with Checkpoint electronic article surveillance pedestals. The Bug Tag is attached directly to the mobile device and if the device is carried too close to the pedestals, located next to the entry/exit doors, alarm with lights and a loud beeping noise. Staffs respond to the alarms and recover the device before it is removed from the building thereby averting the potential stolen patient data.

This leads me back to the beginning of this article and how i-Pads came to be prevalent among first responders today. What was happening in the world of first responders that led to the creation of paramedics and emergency medical technicians in the first place? Before the 1960’s, ambulance services varied between states and even within the states themselves. Some of the responders had no medical training making the ambulance service a transportation unit only and others had highly trained staffs to treat injuries. According to Legislative Intent Service, Inc. in an article titled, “Origins of California’s Paramedics”, a 3 year study was completed by the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, on accidental deaths in the United States. Titled, “Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society.” “The study noted another striking find: Statistically, soldiers in a warzone were faring better than the American civilian public regarding emergency care.” As a result of the study, In 1970 the, “Wedworth-Townsend Paramedic Act” was sent to the desk of then California Governor Ronald Reagan. One of the interesting points of the bill included, the ability of the paramedics to administer a number of intravenous drugs or agents, “Where voice contact or a telemetered electrocardiogram is monitored by a physician or a certified mobile intensive care nurse where authorized by a physician, and direct communication is maintained, may upon order of such physician or such nurse do any of the following:…” In other words, in Emergency!, when the paramedics were calling “Rampart” and talking to the emergency room doctor on duty, this was in line with the 1970 California bill. Today, paramedics have even more training and better tools at their disposal. The improvement in communications using i-Pads and tablets over radios has dramatically changed initial diagnosis and stabilization until a patient can reach a medical facility.  Doctors can be virtually in the field with the EMT and the patient through Skype and the cameras built into i-Pads.

While guarding against i-Pad Theft or Tablet Theft in the field may be difficult. In the hospital setting it is possible when the Bug Tag is attached to each hospital owned mobile device. Doing so ensures patients will continue to receive the best treatment possible from first responders.

Get more information on a Bug Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.