What could be a more obvious violation of privacy than the humble sign-in sheet, a permanent fixture in most doctors’ offices? A list of the first and last name of every patient who’s been in the office all day, right there on a clipboard, ready to be used — or misused — by anybody who happens by.

Needless to say, we don’t use a sign-in sheet. Instead, we use strong security practices to protect our patients’ identities and health information. Such as:

• Ongoing HIPAA privacy training for all staff
• Secure, password-protected email for those patients who so desire
• All vendors, including maintenance and hazardous waste disposal, monitored by a staff member at all times when on our premises
• Health documents locked away at night, not left on desks (trust us: this is unusual for a medical practice)
• Payment information stored securely
• White-noise generators in the ceiling and soundproof glass in the reception area are strategically placed to reduce the chance of accidentally overheard conversations
• Intruder alarm, security cameras, and locked cabinets are used to secure the physical premises
• Enterprise-grade firewall and encryption to secure data

Shouldn’t your doctor protect your information at least as well as a private banker? There’s no sign-in sheet there either.