smart phone

Malware Attacking Android Mobile OS

Posted on November 1st, 2012 by Dexcomm Systems Engineering Department

The FBI has issued a warning of malware attacking Android mobile OS (operating systems). The two latest versions that the bureau has become aware of are Loozfon and FinFisher.

Loozfon is information-stealing malware that can infect your mobile device OS by the user clicking on the wrong link, allowing access to your phone. The infected device allows the malicious application to steal details from the user’s contact list along with the device’s mobile number.

FinFisher is spyware that can allow a criminal to remotely access your phone no matter where the infected device is. The spy-ware gains access to your phone when you open a specific web link or text message that poses as a system update.

Health Care workers who use their mobile devices for practice related functions pose a risk to their own privacy, as well as any patients whose information may be stored on their phone. Accessing online accounts and portals can expose credentials and passwords to these criminals posing an even deeper threat.

Our Experts have a few great safety tips to lower your risk of exposure:

Mobile Device Enable OS encryption on your device (not available on all versions)

Review and understand permissions you are granting applications you download.

Enable password locks on your phone.

Close applications and browsing sessions when you are done.

Install malware protection on your device. Look for applications that specialize in antivirus and file security.

Consider installing an application that allows you to wipe the device if it is lost or stolen.

Carefully inspect applications looking for geo-locate permissions.

Do not connect to unknown wireless networks.

Make sure your OS is update.

Avoid clicking on unknown links.

If you store or transmit sensitive data, look into encrypted and secure messaging options.

For more great tips, check out Dexcomm’s Safety Checklist for Mobile Devices.

Solution – iPhone Call Forwarding

Posted on October 30th, 2012 by Dexcomm

Ask the Expert – iPhone Call Forwarding

A customer called a few weeks ago having some trouble managing the forwarding features on his iPhone. His cellular provider was not particularly helpful to him when he called for support, and he wanted to send his calls over to us at his answering service, so I did a little research in order to help him.

The Problem:

Our customer forwards his business line direct to his cell phone after hours. He wants to pick and choose which calls to answer, letting some forward to our staff here at Dexcomm while being able to answer his personal calls and the business calls he felt were particularly important, all the while never saddling any of his callers with voice mail. Direct forwarding from his iPhone to the answering service doesn’t work because he doesn’t get alerted to any calls.

The Solution:

After a few minutes on the phone discussing his concerns it became clear he needed to activate his “Forward, if no answer” feature so he could physically ignore calls and let them come to us (For many traditional carriers this service is called “Call Forward Don’t Answer” ). This is usually a simple process on traditional carriers because you just need to call up your phone company and ask them to activate the feature and tell them how many rings you want the caller to hear before transferring to the 3^rd party number.

Cellular providers aren’t so simple. This feature is usually activated in ways unique to each device. Calling the provider is likely to be met with the not-so-helpful advice of “please consult your user manual.” Any iPhone user can probably tell you a bit of a joke about what “user manual” comes with the phone, and this customer was something of a technophobe so I went online to find his answer for him.

What I found was a fantastic reference guide that leads the user through all of the possible forwarding features available on the iPhone.

It includes instructions for engaging and disengaging forwarding (and bypassing the standard voice mail) for the following situations: All calls; when busy; when no answer, when unreachable (out of service), and all conditions.

This helped me satisfy our client’s need in no time. We’ve included the chart on our resources page so that we can quickly get future clients to it when they have questions about how to direct calls to the answering service.

Secure Messaging

Posted on October 25th, 2012 by Dexcomm

At Dexcomm, we offer a cloud-based secure messaging tool that allows you to send encrypted messages with your mobile device. The miSecureMessages Application allows you to categorize your personal and business messages and ensures your information will stay confidential, meeting all HIPAA and HITECH regulations. Receive your messages from Dexcomm, coworkers or anyone one on your list!

miSecureMessages is a powerful Smartphone paging and messaging application built for Android™, Apple® and BlackBerry® devices. It enables two-way instant communications using the app (no text or SMS package needed) to easily reply and organize your communications.

Ease of use

The recipient will receive an alert that a new message has been received, and can view it instantly using the app on their mobile device. miSecureMessages uses its own app on the mobile device, and the messages are kept separate from the recipient’s other text and email messages. User guides

Features

Allows you to send encrypted messages to other mobile devices using 3G, 4G or a Wi-Fi connection.
SMS capability is not required. miSecureMessages uses its own technology to ensure messages are immediate, reliable, and secure.
Users can send messages to each other, device-to-device, or from their miSecureMessages app Contact List.
Send large amounts of information quickly.
Reporting and tracking of messages.
Recipients can receive optional attention-getting alerts from their mobile device to help ensure immediate action
Allows you to prioritize your messages, which are displayed at the top of the recipient’s inbox.
Organizes your messages into message threads, giving you easy access to a complete conversation.
Provides encrypted “message delivery” and “message read” receipts.
Allows the recipient to reply to a message with an encrypted response.

Security

Data is encrypted - utilizes end-to-end message encryption, ensuring that messages in-transit are secure and protected.
No information is stored on your device - miSecureMessages quickly retrieves message information each time the app is accessed, but no information is stored on your mobile device.
Access can be remotely disabled - At any time, you can remotely disable a device’s miSecureMessages licensing, so that a person’s app cannot log in or access the database any longer.
Passcode feature (Optional) - Users may create a four-digit passcode that they must enter each time they access the miSecureMessages App.

In addition to the security features listed, we are fully HIPAA compliant. At Dexcomm, we are focused on listening to your needs, providing customer-friendly service while connecting you to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Want to know more?

miSecureMessages Android User Guide

miSecureMessagesAppleUserGuide

miSecureMessagesBlackBerryUserGuide

Ask our Experts or get a quote!

@sk the Experts

What Does HIPAA consider to be a Mobile Device?

Posted on July 26th, 2012 by Dexcomm Systems Engineering Department

HIPAA defines a mobile device as any device that allows storage of data on itself by using it’s on-board memory or within the SIM card of a memory chip. Mobile devices can be used to send and transmit data, which may include Protected Health Information (PHI or ePHI) under HIPAA. Sending and transmitting PHI or ePHI through these devices has proven to be risky because of the unique security risks involved.

mobile device

Popular handheld devices include stand alone PDAs like Palm and Apple’s iPod touch, iPhone, Android phones, Blackberry, etc. Also included are tablets such as Apple’s iPad and Microsoft’s Surface. HIPAA requires that PHI be safeguarded against threats to security, integrity and unauthorized use.

For detailed information on HIPAA and Mobile Devices click here for the Dexcomm eBook “Prevent Your Mobile Devices from Causing a HIPAA Violation”.

Prevent Your Mobile Devices from Causing a HIPAA Violation

Posted on June 11th, 2012 by Dexcomm

eBook - Prevent Your Mobile Devices from Causing a HIPAA Violation

If you or any member of your staff has or can access 500 or more patient records using a mobile device, it is time to prepare a speech for the media and a check for the Office of Civil Rights because you are at risk for a HIPAA violation.

Or learn how to protect your practice from a PHI breach and get HIPAA required safeguards, along with other time-saving useful resources by downloading and reading your complimentary e-book.

Mobile Policy as HIPAA Protection

Posted on April 25th, 2012 by Dexcomm

HIPAA Protection

Given all of the legislation and the large number of mobile devices on the market and in our businesses today, it has become difficult for physician offices and their business associates to manage all of the devices and provide adequate HIPAA protection to prevent a privacy breach. Everything from a USB flash drive to an electronic tablet or even a camera phone has become potential sources of a PHI breach. It is important that you craft a mobile device policy that allows you to reasonably meet all of the rules. Having this policy in place and administered will allow you to sleep at night knowing that you have done the due diligence and what is required by law.

Is your practice looking for a generic mobile policy?

Contact us.

Technical Safeguard Tips

Posted on April 11th, 2012 by Dexcomm

If the electronic PHI is stored and transmitted in encrypted form, then how you would handle the security breach drastically changes. Any data can be encrypted. Encryption is a process that converts plain text into cipher text which is unreadable to any unintended entity that has accessed the file without “permission.” It works by using a mathematical algorithm called keys that code and decode the cipher text. This process is performed by computer programs or specific hardware designed for this purpose.

HHS states that any HIPAA compliant entity is not exempt from the breach notification requirements if the entity keeps the keys on the same device as the encrypted data. Ask your vendor before selecting your encryption product. Keys can be stored on a USB flash drive, a key server or be regenerated as needed. For more information visit HIPAA Security Rule FAQ Regarding Encryption. On your computer, programs such as Microsoft® Encrypting File System (EFS) are built-in encryption programs that are easy to use by just changing the properties of the folder. Click here for a full list of programs.

The same protection extends to your mobile devices which should also be password protected. Change your passwords regularly: at least every 90 days. Any EPHI that is utilized or stored on a mobile device must also be encrypted including; accessing a web portal on the mobile devices web browser, SMS/text message, email or images.

HIPAA violations at your fingertips

Posted on April 3rd, 2012 by Dexcomm

The amount of Protected Health Information (PHI) that could be on your employee’s phone is staggering. Access to the protected information can be as easy as unlocking a smart phone. Mobile devices collect and contain PHI such as a patient’s name and phone number or a picture of a patient’s wound while they were in the office for a routine visit. Are you prepared for a situation as simple as a member of your staff answering a call on their cell phone? Who has access to this information? When the employee is at home and their 14-year-old is playing with the mobile device and sees a text message containing PHI, you now have a HIPAA violation and a possibility of the daughter seeing a name she recognizes and placing the information on Facebook, Twitter or any social media they may be associated with.

E-Prescribing: it can save you money

Posted on November 24th, 2011 by Bill

e-Prescribing

Lately, we have put a lot of blogs up about smart phones and how they integrate into the medical community. One of the most important ways that they can make health-care provider’s lives much easier is through E-prescribing. A lot of doctors and health agencies have already implemented some form of sending prescriptions via an electronic service, citing the ease of use and time-saving aspects that electronic prescriptions offer. However, that isn’t all that E-prescription can do for you; it can also save you money.

New governmental initiatives are pushing for modernization of data maintenance across the board in the medical services, including prescriptions. In order to accomplish this, the federal government passed the HITECH Act in 2009. This act offers incentive payments to physicians through Medicare and Medicaid if they use electronic prescriptions for more than 40% of their prescriptions, not including those for controlled substances.

Government incentives are direct ways in which E-prescribing can cut costs. There are, however, many indirect ways that handling your prescriptions electronically can reduce your overhead. The most important of these is in the time saved. “time is money” is a cliché for a reason. Although it may seem quicker to just write out a prescription by hand, this is not the case. In fact, one third of all hand-written prescriptions necessitate a phone call from the pharmacy for clarification. To put this in more stark relief, the Medical Group Management Association estimates that, on average, medical practices receive fifty phone calls a day from pharmacies. These calls are disruptive to workflow, and thus consume time.

Furthermore, E-prescribing makes more efficient use of the physician’s time. Electronic prescription systems contain databases and programs that account for drug interactions and contra-indications, which means that the physician does not have to. Over time, this increases efficiency and productivity, and both add up to dollars saved. In one study, published in 2007, a group practice of thirteen physicians claimed that by transferring their records completely to an electronic format, they saved 1 million dollars in the first year and a half. Considering that this included the cost of implementing the system, that is an impressive saving (especially when you take into account that this does not include the federal reimbursement mentioned above).

For more on E-prescription, read Electronic Prescribing: Building, Deploying and Using E-prescribing to Save Lives and Save Money put out by the Center for Health Transformation. For more information on the HITECH Act, see Electronic Prescription Is Safe And Efficient, However Hurdles Remain.

Can smart phones actually help people?

Posted on November 2nd, 2011 by Noah

eye exam via smart phone

Dexcomm has been in the communications industry since the 1950’s and over that time we have always strived to stay on top of the amazing changes in communications technology. We were the first telephone answering service in the state to be able to receive and deliver emails. We offer sms, email, and fax delivery, web based on call management, and are currently bringing onboard a completely secure and HIPAA compliant smart phone app that will allow medical practices to communicate all their messages in a private and encrypted environment.

Our secure messaging app for smart phones is an one example of great leaps in technology. Another example aimed at helping people around the world is featured in the following video. Netra has developed an app, and cheap ($2) accessory to the smart phone that can provide quick and accurate eye exams. The impact that this development could have for children around the world, in developed and undeveloped countries alike is amazing.

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