We recommend making sure all your software is up to date and supported to comply with HIPAA regulations. By running outdated software you run the risk of violating C.F.R. § 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(B)) which states Implement security measures sufficient to reduce risks and vulnerabilities to a reasonable and appropriate level to comply with §164.306(a).
Recently Anchorage Community Mental Health Services was fined $150,000 due to malware compromising its security as a direct result of running outdated and unsupported software. The HIPAA bulletin released by HHS regarding this incident can be found at: BULLETIN: HIPAA Settlement Underscores the Vulnerability of Unpatched and Unsupported Software
As of April 8th, 2014 Microsoft is no longer supporting Windows XP. Support for Office 2003 has also ended. Support for Server 2003 will end July 14th, 2015. All previous versions of Windows and Office are also no longer supported by Microsoft. As of April 11th 2017 Windows Vista is no longer supported.
We offer many options for upgrading your equipment to be HIPAA compliant. You may keep your existing CR reader or DR panel and replace the workstation. We can upgrade your PACS or transfer your images to a new PACS. Please contact us to see what your options are.
2019 Update:
Microsoft is ending support of Windows 7 on January 14th 2020. Windows 8.1 will no longer be supported on January 10th 2023. We highly recommend upgrading all computers to Windows 10. This provides the best path to long term support as Microsoft has not released an end of support date for it. Both Fuji and Konica are now offering upgrade solutions to Windows 10 for existing CR units.