It is not only a moral responsibility for medical practices to provide security and a safe environment for their patients and employees, but in most instances, it is a legal obligation. In addition to providing a safe environment for the staff and patients of your ENT practice, having the right type of access controls helps protect your practice. The two primary access control solutions are physical and electronic. While each of these two elements have some unique benefits, they are most effective when appropriately combined.
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The Benefits of Physical Access Control
When a facility is vulnerable to hostile infiltration, physical access controls present an immediate barrier that cannot be easily circumvented or overridden. These control mechanisms can be used to restrict vehicles, people, and a number of other potential threats. A major benefit of physical access control is that it is still effective and operable when there is a power outage.Some common examples of physical barriers that are effective in protecting organizations include:
- Vaults and Safes
- Pop-up or static vehicle barriers
- Locked secondary entry doorways
The Benefits of Electronic Access Controls
Where physical access controls are either static or manually operated, electronic access controls provide flexibility. A major benefit of this would be the ability to allow someone in or deny entry without direct exposure. While many of the electronic access control mechanisms will mimic the physical controls in some way, the electronic element creates a more automated process.
Electronic access controls allow your organization to control, manage, and track everything; providing complete management of all approved access by employees and patients. They also allow businesses to easily manage access credentials, providing the capacity to accommodate those vendors and suppliers that are trusted. In the event of an incident, having the right electronic access controls can potentially help identify the culprit as well as provide the evidence in the case of criminal prosecution.
With the need to secure your ENT practice, installation and implementation of the proper combination of physical and electronic access control solutions will provide a substantially higher level of protection.
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