Connecticut's Document Destruction & Data Security Rules

For a small state, Connecticut is big on business—many companies in the health insurance industry (among others) call the state home. Just like healthcare facilities, health insurance companies are subject to HIPAA. Passed in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates safeguards for protected health information. Both physical and electronic records must be kept under lock and key, and securely destroyed when no longer needed.

In addition to the federal laws, CT General Statute § 42-471 provides protection for personal information, and mandates that if your customers' or patients' social security numbers are accessed without authorization, you must offer identity theft protection and mitigation services to them at no cost for 24 months.

When it's time to dispose of old records, you might consider in-house shredding—but you won't have proof of the data destruction as required by HIPAA. Instead, contact a HIPAA-compliant company like ShredSmart—we come right to you and shred your documents on-site, eliminating the chance of confidential information getting lost or stolen during transport. For ongoing needs, we can install a secure container and work on a service schedule that meets your needs.