@Tomastoria,

For those who are retired I typically recommend storing the files on your TRUSTED computer. When I say trusted, I mean this computer is used for things such as checking bank account balances, QuickBooks, shopping on Amazon, and so forth. In other words, it is used by you for trusted activities involving trusted applications and websites. This computer is NOT used for playing video games, keeping the grand kids occupied, surfing porn, going to the pirate bay and downloading illegal movies and music, and installing random things you find on the Internet.

This TRUSTED computer will also have a backup to a USB drive using Windows Backup or Veeam or other well known and well supported backup program.

AND YOU WILL KEEP IT ALL UPDATED.

Now you see why keeping the files yourself well into retirement is the SECOND best choice. You still have to do the whole computer-backup-maintenance thing when all you really want to do is drink mimosas on the beach and chase your wife around the house. And this may mean having two computers: One for the business side and one for the wife and grandkids to goof off on. And we haven't talked about offsite backup at all.

The reason I don't recommend using just a USB drive is because USB drives can be dropped, damaged, lost, and over time become less and less reliable with data storage - even SSD drives.

Just because you are retired doesn't mean the steps for proper data storage, security, and backup goes away when you insist on maintaining your own data. You are still bound by HIPAA and you are still responsible to your patients. Period.

Sounds like a wonderful retirement plan.

That's why I say the best plan is to contact Andrew at www.desertriversolutions.com and let him deal with all that crap while you spend your retirement years travelling the world and posting pictures of historical monuments on Facebook so the rest of us can live vicariously through you.

As much as I love technology. As much as I love what I do. I promise you when I'm 78 my biggest concern will be making certain I'm on the correct side of the bathroom door at certain times of the day and NOT having to deal with all this computer/HIPAA crap.

JamesNT

Last edited by JamesNT; 01/31/2023 10:58 AM.
James Summerlin
My personal site: http://www.dataintegrationsolutions.net
james@dataintegrationsolutions.net