Cybersecurity is a chief concern in today’s healthcare compliance landscape. You’re likely familiar with the SAFER Guides—the CMS-issued tools to help assess and improve the safety of electronic health record systems. These self-assessment tools aren’t required, but should your practice complete them anyway? Here’s what you need to know about the SAFER Guides and their importance to your operational strategy.
The SAFER Guides provide checklists, worksheets, and best practices for healthcare organizations. These guides are not mandatory. However, they can be helpful in identifying vulnerabilities, creating solutions, and enhancing EHR safety across healthcare settings.
What Are the SAFER Guides?
As your medical practice continues to navigate the complex world of electronic health records (EHRs), you’ll encounter a myriad of safety and security considerations. Even as many practices have gone digital with their record-keeping, cybersecurity measures haven’t always received the same attention.
SAFER stands for Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience. These guides were established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2014 as practices were increasingly transitioning from paper to digital charting. The goal was to promote robust cybersecurity practices and optimize the safe use of EHRs.
These guides are essentially a set of self-assessment tools designed to walk your practice through different aspects of EHR safety. They consist of nine guides organized into three broad groups:
- Foundational
- Infrastructure
- Clinical Process
Each guide helps you evaluate and improve your EHR safety measures by including checklists, implementation worksheets, and recommended practices.
What makes these guides particularly valuable is their self-guided nature. Your team can work through them at your own pace, assessing your current practices and identifying areas for improvement. They’re not just about ticking boxes—they’re about developing a comprehensive understanding of your EHR system’s safety and resilience.
Are They Required?
As it currently stands, there is no legal requirement to complete the guides. Medicare’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) only requires that your practice attest to whether or not you’ve completed the High Priority Practices SAFER Guide during the calendar year. It’s important to know that there’s no penalty for answering “no” to this question.
On the other hand, it’s worth noting that the healthcare regulatory environment is constantly changing. While the SAFER Guides aren’t mandatory now, it’s quite possible they could become a requirement in the future. Staying ahead of the curve by familiarizing yourself with these guides could be beneficial in the long run.
The landscape of healthcare technology and regulations is constantly evolving. As a medical practice navigating this landscape, you face the task of balancing patient care, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. The SAFER Guides provide direction through these challenges.
The Benefits of Completing the SAFER Guides
These guides are designed to help you assess and improve the safety of your electronic health record (EHR) systems and are a valuable tool for your practice.
For example, one of our clients was well-prepared to respond to the recent Change Healthcare breach because they had already completed the applicable SAFER Guide. This proactive approach, including a tabletop exercise, allowed them to have a clear action plan in place when the breach occurred.
The goal is to enhance patient safety and improve your practice’s efficiency—not just to tick a box for compliance. The decision to undertake the SAFER Guide exercise should be based on their potential operational value to your practice. If you find them helpful in identifying and mitigating EHR-related safety risks, it may be worth incorporating them into your regular processes.
How Compass Healthcare Consulting Can Help
Compass Healthcare Consulting can assist in the SAFER Guide completion for your practice. Our experts can help plan and facilitate the entire process, mapping out a strategic approach to meet all requirements during the calendar year. At the same time, we help minimize disruption to your operations.
From organizing planning meetings to conducting tabletop exercises that simulate disaster responses, Compass provides comprehensive support. We can assist in developing a robust written security plan and an emergency response protocol for potential incidents.
Cybersecurity regulations continue to evolve as risk intensifies. Using the SAFER Guides now can help your practice get ahead and provide operational advantages today. By leveraging our expertise, your practice can efficiently navigate these guides to enhance patient safety and EHR resilience without overwhelming your staff or compromising daily operations.
