As the Southwest Riverside County region has grown and developed, so has residents’ access to greater healthcare options. Murrieta is home to two hospitals, several large specialty medical practices, and numerous medical offices. According to Murrieta’s Director of Economic Development, Scott Agajanian, Murrieta has emerged as the “Medical Engine of Southwest Riverside County.” The medical industry’s growth in the city of Murrieta shows no stopping any time soon with the recent groundbreaking of Kaiser Permanente’s outpatient surgery center and the expansion of Rancho Springs Medical Center.

Medical offices often need more security protection than other businesses. High employee turnover rates, access to pharmaceutical drugs, and increased incidents of violence towards healthcare workers fuel this need. Here are three key features of a business alarm system that medical offices and facilities should include in their security plan:

Violence towards healthcare workers is on the rise. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Healthcare workers accounted for 73% of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses due to violence in 2018. The industry’s number of total workplace violence has grown since 2011.”  

Patients or their loved ones can get upset when they feel that their needs are not being met. Occasionally their anger can cause them to become emotionally and physically out of control and even dangerous to other patients and staff. This type of situation is when having a silent Panic Button is invaluable. Panic buttons can be discreetly placed at the reception area, in patient rooms, or worn by staff members. When activated, a panic button will silently send an emergency signal to the alarm monitoring station. Operators will dispatch the police to help take control of the situation before any medical office personnel are hurt.

Employee turnover can be high in the healthcare field. The turnover rate for the healthcare industry is second-worst, only to the hospitality industry. Issuing individual alarm user codes to each employee is a key alarm feature that enables you to control who and when access to a medical office is permitted. Using individual user codes also helps prevent a former employee from coming back to the office and illegally accessing medical records or stealing medical equipment or drugs. 

For current employees, using individual codes allows limiting their access to the medical office and can help prevent internal theft. Individual user codes enable office managers to track which employee accessed the office, when, and for how long.

Onsite pharmaceutical drugs, confidential information in patient medical records, and expensive medical equipment create additional needs for security protection in a medical office. It’s common for medical offices to have a drug room where prescription drug samples are stored and dispensed. Additional detection devices or access control locks can help deter internal drug theft and detect any attempted break-ins. For example, placing wall shock detectors on the walls can detect attempts to access these sensitive areas by breaking through the walls, often from an unoccupied office next door. Many medical offices have onsite computer servers with medical records, while others may still contain some amount of paper medical records. Medical Records have highly personal information that needs to be secured. In addition to securing these areas with door locks and file cabinet locks, additional alarm detection devices in the form of door entry and motion detection devices are critical. Illegal access or theft of medical records is considered a security breach and requires notification to patients. Notifying patients can be costly and lead to negative online reviews and a loss of business reputation and patients.

Medical offices, by their very nature, require more security, not less. Beyond limiting the loss of costly medical equipment or onsite drugs, an alarm system can help protect the safety of your staff and help secure your medical practice from internal theft and the loss of sensitive patient information.

As residents of Temecula, we appreciate the access we now have to so many medical providers and specialized care. The Temecula Valley has come a long way since the days of only having one hospital in Murrieta and another in Wildomar to serve our entire region. Since 1985 A-Bell Alarms has been providing security services for medical professionals in our community. Here’s what some of our clients in the healthcare field have said about the service we provide:

“We have been using A-Bell alarms to secure our medical practice for many years. They are an extremely professional, attentive, responsive, local company. Just recently, their high-quality sensor alerted us to water dripping in the early stages of a water heater leak saving us from a massive flood and saving us from a huge expense. I would recommend A-Bell alarms to any business or residential customer. We are so happy with their service and will be their customer for many years to come.”
Jennifer Nelson, Office Manager, Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine, Temecula

“A-Bell alarm made sure we had a system that met our needs and was very professional and personalized. I am so pleased with the service.”
Dr. Tina Gottlieb, Chiropractor, Temecula

Trusted Security for Temecula Valley Businesses and Families Since 1985

Our own homes and business are right here in Temecula. We’ve been in business here since 1985, so we have in-depth knowledge of the crime situation and patterns in our area. Knowledge that we put to work for you, your business and your family.

We also have a vested interest in protecting our own community. To us, you’re not a number – you’re our friend and neighbor. And we go out of our way to treat you that way and make sure you are always completely satisfied with our service.

Give Us a Call! (951) 302-3100