By Angela Fitzpatrick – Cyberattacks on healthcare organizations and their business associates continue to increase at an alarming rate, with nearly 500 breaches affecting 500 or more individuals each reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights between January and November 2023.
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Our annual predictions for 2024 continues with Privacy, Security, Compliance. Throughout the next few weeks we will be asking the industry experts what they think we will see in 2024. Check back as we cover AI, value-based care, interoperability, privacy, security, access, and equality.
By David Finn – It is very difficult to talk about 2024 without starting from where we are ending 2023. We only need to go back to Thanksgiving to paint the picture of healthcare cybersecurity in 2023. Over Thanksgiving weekend, a single ransomware attack left 30 hospitals across 6 states without network services.
The HHS released a concept paper that outlines the Department’s cybersecurity strategy for the health care sector. The concept paper builds on the National Cybersecurity Strategy that President Biden released last year, focusing specifically on strengthening resilience for hospitals, patients, and communities threatened by cyber-attacks.
By Art Gross – Back in the day, physical safeguards were all we had to protect patient files. In today’s world where most information is stored digitally, a filing cabinet and key can no longer do the trick. The utilization of data encryption stands as one of the most fundamental and effective methods to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive patient information.
By Matt Fisher – Maintaining and protecting privacy for patients and healthcare information is important and necessary at all times. The requirement for keeping privacy applies no matter the circumstances, which can mean in the middle of a pandemic. The most recent HIPAA settlement announced by the Office for Civil Rights provides that reminder.
By Matt Fisher – The use of tracking technology in healthcare continues to garner a lot of attention. The issue first came to the fore in 2022 following an expose that discovered a large majority of hospitals and health systems across the country included Meta Pixel on their websites in numerous different places.
By Art Gross – “You’ve been breached”: three words that no business owner ever wants to hear, but for which they should be prepared. Data breaches have become an unfortunate reality for many organizations, especially those in the healthcare industry. Protecting sensitive patient information is not just a matter of compliance; it’s a crucial component of maintaining trust and reputation.
By Art Gross – In the fast-paced world of healthcare, safeguarding patient privacy remains paramount. Yet, despite the diligence exercised in patient care, one area where vulnerabilities persist is record disposal. From the cluttered file rooms to the maze of electronic data, mistakes are made that can jeopardize sensitive patient information.