Certified Medical Administrative Assistants (CMAA) Practice Exam

Sensitive patient information must be handled with care to protect patient confidentiality and adhere to legal regulations like HIPAA. Shredding documents ensures that any written or printed personal data is rendered unreadable and irretrievable, thus preventing unauthorized access. Implementing secure deletion procedures for electronic records means that data is not just deleted but is also removed in a manner that it cannot be recovered, further safeguarding patient information.

Using an unsecured physical location or recycling paper documents without additional precautions can expose sensitive data to unauthorized individuals, jeopardizing patient privacy. Moreover, simply deleting files from electronic devices often leaves data recoverable through various means, which does not offer adequate protection. Therefore, the most secure method for disposing of sensitive patient information combines both shredding physical documents and securely deleting electronic records.