Protecting medical data and patient information must be a top priority when managing the cybersecurity risk to your organization. Data breaches and cyber attacks are consistent threats because of the valuable information that can be siphoned from medical records. It is essential for healthcare systems to have an up-to-date cybersecurity risk management plan in place. A risk management plan identifies threats to your cybersecurity, then works to prevent or mitigate those risks.
Within healthcare organizations, protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII) are extremely valuable to cyber hackers. It is also extremely important to remain compliant with HIPAA security standards to ensure that PHI remains secure. Stolen health records sell for an extremely high dollar value, even more so than stolen credit cards. Those looking to profit from selling this information are eager to attack hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare systems where this critical information is located.
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The first step in optimizing your cybersecurity risk management plan is to identify and assess the risks that your organization currently faces. Create a list of potential risks to your healthcare system, and then organize them from most harmful to least harmful. It is important to create this list methodically in order to have all risks on your radar. Risks that may not pose any significant threat at this time can develop into major issues in the future. Cybersecurity risk encompasses the amount of potential harm to your organization and the likelihood of it happening. A successful risk management plan identifies threats before they happen, including stolen patient data or loss of access to records.
Essential tasks require having a dedicated employee or employees to perform them. Risk management is no different. Having a dedicated IT employee or team whose responsibility is to monitor for cyber threats or attacks is an excellent step toward preventing these attacks. Utilizing your list of identified risks, your IT support can be tasked with making sure that all security measures are up-to-date and valid. This includes secure access to medical data for both employees and patients.
Constantly evolving technology means the need to consistently improve upon the strategy to mitigate and prevent cyber attacks. A strong risk management plan that is a year old will have increased vulnerability with each passing month. Those who plan to enter your system without authorization or hack into your records are always learning new ways to evade security or deceive users into giving up their information in phishing attacks. Staying ahead of potential scams or attacks requires a regular review of your cybersecurity risks and your plan to manage them.
Risk means not only a potential threat exists but also the damage that could result from a phishing attack or hacking. A breach of PHI or PII is damaging to not only your organization but your patients, who now have to deal with compromised identities. How are you communicating details surrounding the breach to your patients? What is your plan to prevent future issues? A strong response in the event of a breach should be easy to roll out and include a mitigation strategy to not only secure the data you hold but to ensure your patient’s safety and trust are regained.
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Train your staff and providers to be a line of defense when it comes to cybersecurity. Those with access to sensitive patient data should always follow security measures and protocols to protect patients’ information. Being careless with passwords, log-in information, and patient data creates an easier target for cyber attacks. You should encourage your staff to prioritize security in all aspects of their roles when logging into medical records, collecting information from patients, and helping patients access their medical portals.
DigiDoc’s document management software (DMS) has enhanced security features that can prevent data breaches and reduce downtime within your organization. We offer critical security measures to keep your patients safe, including remote secure authentication, system monitoring, and system logging. We are committed to keeping sensitive data protected during every step of the process.