flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Keyless Security for Medical Offices

Sponsored Content

Keyless Security for Medical Offices

A keyless access system can assure medical practitioners that they are helping prevent data breaches and the spread of infectious disease.


By SALTO SYSTEMS | July 12, 2023
Electronic access provides coverage for all areas of a medical office: employee lockers, medication storage, expensive equipment, and areas like billing that use cash.
Electronic access provides coverage for all areas of a medical office: employee lockers, medication storage, expensive equipment, and areas like billing that use cash.

Keeping patient data secure is a serious concern for medical professionals. Traditional lock-and-key systems do very little to help manage this problem, and create additional issues of their own. “Fortunately, wireless access control — a keyless alternative — eliminates the need for traditional physical keys while providing a higher level of security and centralized control,” says Cliff Brady, Salto Director of Industry Sectors Engagement, North America. Let’s explore how that works.

The Challenges

Controlling access to medical office spaces through the use of traditional keyed locks presents distinct challenges. When there are changes, either to staff or to their permissions, retrieving and reissuing keys can become a time-consuming and potentially problematic endeavor.

The American Medical Association states that physicians have an ethical mandate to guard patient information and only disseminate it with patients’ permission. In addition, the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws establish limits on who can access private health information. Penalties and fines for violations can be severe, even when a breach is accidental. With so much at stake, both for patients and healthcare practitioners, physical security for medical office facilities is of utmost importance.

However, these buildings tend to be accessible to many different individuals throughout the business day. With the boom in buildout of medical office spaces, more doctors, nurses and patients are moving through these facilities than ever before, and not everyone should be permitted in every area.

A Better Way to Manage Physical Security

Brady notes that keyless locking systems can greatly enhance compliance. Instead of mechanical locks, battery-powered electronic locks can be installed, and these do not require complicated wiring. “This system screens individuals for authorized access using established credentials, protecting patient privacy and confidential information,” he says. Users can only open doors to their permitted zones; this is accomplished by using a single remotely programmable key fob, or by an app on an electronic device, such as a tablet or cellphone.

Keyless systems also allow administrators to track who accessed which areas of the building and when. “This provides an audit trail and affords effective tracking of staff activities,” says Brady. He adds that access management is easily granted or revoked for individuals or groups as needs dictate, and this process can be managed remotely. “This is particularly useful for medical practices that have multiple locations and offsite facilities,” he adds.

In emergencies, wireless access control systems like Salto’s provide safe and efficient egress with panic bars for easy opening of doors. A monitoring feature also notifies the administrator if a door is accidentally left open or if there are unauthorized access attempts. In a situation requiring a lockdown, Salto Space technology can quickly secure the premises, restricting or preventing access altogether.

Infection Control Benefits

Wireless access control doesn’t only protect the physical premises of medical offices and sensitive medical data; it is also important in protecting patients’ health. Brady says, “This technology goes beyond controlling access to physical spaces in the interest of regulatory compliance. Infection control can also be better managed by limiting access.”

For example, the recent Covid-19 epidemic created the need for contact tracing within patient populations. The data provided by electronic access control supported these tracing efforts by collecting data on who had been in the proximity of infected individuals and monitoring their exposure risks.

Electronic access control improves security throughout a healthcare campus while providing powerful tools for tracking and reporting, and capabilities like immediate lockdown.
Electronic access control improves security throughout a healthcare campus while providing powerful tools for tracking and reporting, and capabilities like immediate lockdown.

Impact Felt Across Entire Facilities

A keyless access system can assure medical practitioners that they are helping prevent data breaches and the spread of infectious disease. Having quick access to various parts of the building without needing to manage physical keys also makes them more efficient.

Facility administrators can track arrival and departure of staff and vendors, immediately grant and revoke access from wherever they happen to be, and ensure the building is compliant with regulations.

Patients can rest easy, knowing that their data has an extra level of protection by limiting access to unauthorized individuals, and that they are protected against disease by an extra element of physical security.

Brady adds, “Wireless access control also allows management to analyze patterns such as occupancy levels for the purposes of optimizing resource allocation, to identify high-traffic areas, and to adjust workflows and resource planning accordingly.”

The benefits of keyless access systems like Salto’s include improved compliance, greater convenience, better patient safety and enhanced physical security.

Related Stories

Healthcare Facilities | Dec 20, 2022

Designing for a first-in-the-world proton therapy cancer treatment system

Gresham Smith begins designing four proton therapy vaults for a Flint, Mich., medical center.

Cladding and Facade Systems | Dec 20, 2022

Acoustic design considerations at the building envelope

Acentech's Ben Markham identifies the primary concerns with acoustic performance at the building envelope and offers proven solutions for mitigating acoustic issues.

Sponsored | Resiliency | Dec 14, 2022

Flood protection: What building owners need to know to protect their properties

This course from Walter P Moore examines numerous flood protection approaches and building owner needs before delving into the flood protection process. Determining the flood resilience of a property can provide a good understanding of risk associated costs.

Healthcare Facilities | Dec 14, 2022

In Flint, Mich., a new health center brings together children’s mental and physical health services

Families with children who experience behavioral health issues often have to travel to multiple care facilities to see multiple teams of specialists. In Flint, Mich., the new Center for Children’s Integrated Services at Genesee Health System (GHS), a public mental health provider, brings together all of the GHS children’s programs, including its behavioral health programs, under one roof. It provides families a single destination for their children’s mental healthcare.

Adaptive Reuse | Dec 9, 2022

What's old is new: Why you should consider adaptive reuse

While new construction allows for incredible levels of customization, there’s no denying that new buildings can have adverse impacts on the climate, budgets, schedules and even the cultural and historic fabrics of communities.

Healthcare Facilities | Nov 17, 2022

Repetitive, hotel-like design gives wings to rehab hospital chain’s rapid growth

The prototype design for Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals had to be universal enough so it could be replicated to accommodate Everest’s expansion strategy.

Seismic Design | Nov 16, 2022

SPC-4D: 7 reasons California hospital building owners should act now to meet seismic compliance

Seismic compliance with the applicable California building codes is onerous and disruptive for building owners, especially for a building in the heavily regulated sector of healthcare. Owners of older buildings that house acute care services have a big deadline on the horizon—Jan. 1, 2030, the cutoff date to upgrade their buildings to SPC-4D.

BAS and Security | Oct 19, 2022

The biggest cybersecurity threats in commercial real estate, and how to mitigate them

Coleman Wolf, Senior Security Systems Consultant with global engineering firm ESD, outlines the top-three cybersecurity threats to commercial and institutional building owners and property managers, and offers advice on how to deter and defend against hackers. 

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2022

Top 60 Medical Office Building Contractors + CM Firms for 2022

PCL Construction, Adolfson & Peterson, Swinerton, and Skanska USA top the ranking of the nation's largest medical office building (MOB) contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report. 

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2022

Top 50 Medical Office Building Engineering + EA Firms for 2022

Jacobs, Gresham Smith, KPFF Consulting Engineers, and IMEG Corp. head the ranking of the nation's largest medical office building (MOB) engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021