Rising Danger

By Art Gross, President and CEO, HIPAA Secure Now!
Twitter: @HIPAASecureNow
Read other articles by this author

Meticulous Research released a market research report “Healthcare Cybersecurity Market”, that indicated a number that anyone in healthcare would want to be aware of. They expect that by 2027 – which sounds far off but is NOT – the cybersecurity market within healthcare will reach $26.1billion with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.8%.

This means that the risk of your healthcare business is affected by a breach is expected to increase. This should come as no surprise since we have witnessed a steady rise every year, and the global pandemic only amplified that risk and rise. What also needs to be taken into consideration is whether or not the available workforce and technology features will be able to meet the needs of these rising demands. Will there be enough professionals to take on the challenge of protecting organizations within healthcare? The specialization of that person will also need to understand the specifics of health and patient care, HIPAA, as well as technology and the cyberthreat landscape.

Should you wait until the demand is even higher and start to look for the right person, vendor, partner, or protection? An obvious “NO” should be your response.

The threats will become more complex, their occurrence will be more frequent, and the advancement of technology are all to be considered as well.

HIPAA compliance is not cybersecurity. This cannot be emphasized enough. They work together to protect your healthcare business, but they do not do the same thing. HIPAA is government-regulated, and cybersecurity adheres to different rules and regulations. A cybercriminal doesn’t abide by either. And since they can be found in or outside of the United States but have as much access as if they were working from the very desk chair that you’re sitting in, there isn’t a federal law that might protect you. We often don’t even know where they are located. We must educate ourselves and our coworkers to ensure that we are safely using all of the technology that is in place in healthcare from document management systems to healthcare equipment, and it must be done in a way that adheres to guidelines that will keep the business and the patients safe.

This article was originally published on HIPAA Secure Now! and is republished here with permission. HIPAA Secure Now offers annual online subscriptions to help covered entities and business associates keep up with compliance. Learn more here.

HIPAA Secure Now! now offers PHIshMD training for CEs and BAs to help protect your organization from security threats.

Technology safeguards put a virtual wall around your network, but what happens when the bad actors climb over that wall? It’s up to your employees. Over 90% of breaches get caused by human error according to Kaspersky Lab, and if you’re not educating users HOW to protect your organization in this ever-changing threat landscape, your organization could be next. LEARN MORE