ECWeb Security

Much of the data that will be collected in ECWeb is confidential information that VA is both ethically and legally obligated to protect.

The ECWeb application has been carefully designed to protect confidential data in a number of ways.

In this topic we'll look at how ECWeb provides data security, including:

• Controlling who can access ECWeb

• Controlling what information ECWeb users can see

• Providing protection for ECWeb data

Controlling Who Can Access ECWeb

Only VA staff members who have been explicitly granted access will be able to log into the ECWeb application.

At your facility, an Administrator Consultant must create a user profile for each person who will be allowed to access ECWeb.

Among other things, the user profile contains the username and password needed to log into ECWeb.

Your ECWeb Username

The username you use in ECWeb must be the same username that you use to log into your primary work computer. (Since you are logging into the Windows NT operating system when you start up your computer, ECWeb refers to this as your NT Username.)

Requiring the ECWeb username to be the same as the NT username ensures that only the ECWeb user logged in to a particular computer will be able to access ECWeb from that computer.

For example, John Smith will not be able to log into ECWeb from a computer that Jane Doe is logged into - even if he has a valid ECWeb user profile. ECWeb will compare John's ECWeb username to the NT username that Jane used to log into the computer. When it sees that the usernames do not match, it will deny John access.

John Smith can log into ECWeb from that same computer, if Jane logs off, and John logs back on using his Windows NT username.

Your ECWeb Password

The first time you log into ECWeb, your password will be set to Password.1

Be sure to change this after you log in for the first time. (See the Logging In & Out tutorial for instructions on changing your password.)

If you forget your password, contact an Administrator Consultant at your facility. He or she will reset your password to Password.1, which you can change as soon as you log back in.

Finally, as with all passwords, be sure to protect your ECWeb password.

• Be sure to log out of ECWeb and close your browser when you walk away from your computer

• If you write down your password, do not leave it in an unsecured area

• If you suspect that your password has been compromised, change it immediately

• While not required, it is good practice to change your ECWeb password regularly

Controlling What Information ECWeb Users Can See

Once you have successfully logged into ECWeb, you will only be able to see information that is relevant to you.

For example, you will only be able to access data for consultations that took place at your facility.

And, on ECWeb screens where you can select the names of other VA staff members (for example, when you identify which consultants worked on a consultation), only the names of ECWeb users from your facility will display.

Furthermore, while any authorized ECWeb user at your facility can view information about individual consultations, only a few ECWeb users will be able to generate reports that include data for all consultations from your facility.

The Administrator Consultant will only grant this ability to a select group of users - generally those in supervisory positions.

Providing Quality Improvement Protection for ECWeb Data

For assistance with the appropriate use and release of ECWeb data, contact your Privacy Officer.