The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) specifies that all entities in the United States healthcare system should implement measures to ensure that healthcare information of all the patients remains confidential, and it is not intentionally or unintentionally leaked to anyone. Doctors have medical records of all their patients, and may often have to carry them outside the hospital or clinic for a variety of reasons. Hence it is important to ensure that the doctor briefcase and other bags for documents, medication is HIPAA compliant and has suitable safeguards in place to prevent unauthorized tampering.
Depending on the requirement of the doctor, he can choose from popular sizes of the doctor bag briefcases like 14″ X 11″X 3″or 18″ X 14″X 4″ . Alternately he can have the bag custom made in the size which is required, depending on the instruments, documents, and medication which he is carrying with him most of the time. The doctor can also specify the color of the bag to suit his uniform or the logo of the hospital or clinic. There is provision for a cardholder so that the bag can be easily identified. The bag is provided with comfortable and durable handles so that it can be carried for a longer period of time without feeling the strain.
If the doctor has important papers and expensive medication, tools, he can choose to use a briefcase which is made from fireproof material. The briefcase is lined with silicon cloth, which is heat resistant until a temperature of 2500 degree centigrade and will not catch fire. Otherwise, the standard briefcase is made from 1000 denier nylon which is a tough material, which does not tear easily. Fashion-conscious doctors who are interested in leather doctor briefcases can have it custom made for them according to their requirement.
Cardinal bag supplies can supply custom made bags in the size, material, color and design specified by the customers. However, unlike the briefcase-style bags which are in stock already and can be shipped immediately, it will take the company ten to fourteen days to make the bags from non-standard material like leather. The bags will then be shipped to the location specified. Organizations like hospitals or clinics which are ordering bags in bulk for their doctors can have text or its logo or a combination of text and logo imprinted on the bag depending on their requirement at an additional cost of $30.
One of the most stringent requirements for HIPAA compliance is that the doctor should ensure that there are measures implemented to ensure that healthcare information is not leaked. The doctor may not be able to carry his bag with him all the time, like when he is eating or sleeping. Even if the bag is unattended, it is important to ensure that it remains secure. Hence the briefcase used by the doctor should have some kind of locking mechanism to ensure that the bag is not tampered at all times, no one can open the bag to check or steal any of the items kept in it.
The Security Bags from Cardinal is available with a wide range of locking options depending on the requirement of the doctor or hospital. The bags have a high-quality nylon zipper with a hood so that the padlock can be securely fixed to the bag. They can choose to purchase briefcases with padlocks having different keys. For small orders, buyers can also request that all the padlocks supplied for the bags have the same key. A safer option for an organization is to ensure that all the padlocks supplied have different keys and the same master key. This ensures that no problem will be faced if one key is lost, though this option is slightly more expensive.
Some doctors may find it inconvenient to carry keys with them since there is always a danger that it may be misplaced or lost. In this case, they can choose to order briefcases with combination locks. Like the padlocks, all the bags ordered can have the same combination lock or different combination lock. The cost of the combination lock is usually $6 more than the standard lock. In addition to briefcases, there are other security bags for healthcare applications like medication bags and HIPAA compliant locking bags which are made to order. So based on their requirement, hospitals, clinics, and doctors can order high-security briefcases and other bags from Cardinal Bags.