BYOD provides several benefits, including cost savings, as an organization doesn’t have to purchase devices for every single employee. Health care professionals also often find using their own devices more convenient and easier. There is no learning curve involved in using a personal device.

Additionally, BYOD provides enhanced mobility and flexibility, as employees can access patient information and communicate with colleagues from anywhere. Mobility and flexibility helps improve patient care, as information is available at a health care professional’s fingertips.

There are concerns, however, including data security issues and compliance requirements, device compatibility, and data management, which is why health care organizations should have strong BYOD practices in place.

Health Care BYOD Best Practices

Ensure your insureds have implemented the following BYOD practices in their organizations:

1. Put BYOD policies in writing and distribute the policies to every employee. The policies should include who can use their personal devices and for what purposes, the type of data that can and cannot be accessed, the type of data that can be stored on personal devices, allowable networks for connecting to personal devices, and the individual/team responsible for secure management of these devices.
2. Train employees on BYOD policies as well as HIPAA regulations and security best practices.
3. Configure device encryption on all personally owned mobile devices for data security. Provide the IT team with the authorization to verify that encryption is in place on a regular basis.
4. Centralize management of mobile devices. Most organizations now employ a mobile device management (MDM) solution to handle corporate devices, which should also apply to personal devices used on corporate networks or to access patient information. MDM ensures employees understand the need to keep work-related data separate from their personal information on their devices and allows for the isolation and control of work-related data. It also enables administrators to safeguard devices in a variety of ways, such as ensuring safe configuration settings and remotely deleting data from lost or stolen devices.
5. Require employees to sign a formal agreement acknowledging their understanding of the BYOD policy and commitment to following security measures. This agreement should clearly outline the repercussions for policy violations.
6. Monitor and audit BYOD devices on a regular basis to ensure policy compliance and uncover potential security risks. Use technology solutions that enable real-time monitoring and logging of device activity.