Physicians are increasingly using their own mobile devices to access EHRs and other sources of information. But this trend may have significant privacy implications that if left unchecked could increase a practice's liability.

Despite this risk, few organizations have put in place clear policies regulating the use of mobile devices among employees, according to a new survey conducted by HIMSS. Government Health IT reports that virtually all of the 164 survey respondents said that employees at their organization had used mobile devices to access information. However, only 38 percent had policies to regulate the use of these devices.

Many practices recognized that the unchecked use of mobile devices by employees is a problem. Half of the respondents said their organization is currently working out policies and two-thirds expect to have rules in place within the next six months.

A recent review of the Department of Health and Human Services' HIPAA breach site conducted by InformationWeek indicated that the majority of cases of lost data resulted from inappropriate mobile technology use. Developing a policy relating to the use of the devices could help practices make their EHR systems more secure.