Data security is
the ever present concern for the health industry. Doctor/Patient confidentiality
is imperative for medical personnel. With recent changes to HIPAA regulations
and the HITECH Act, as part of the ARRA stimulus, have brought the importance
of data security back to the forefront of medical concerns.
In recent years,
we have also seen that it is a concern that can never be taken for granted. An
analysis from Secmaniac.com on data breaches documented by
PrivacyRights.org shows that security breaches in the healthcare industry dwarf
the number of breaches from other industries. And, those breaches have
increased in recent years.
It is also
important to note that these breaches have come from many different directions
in many different forms. Magnetic
data tapes were stolen from a GRM Information Management Services’ vehicle in
New York city, in another situation a
laptop containing medical information was stolen from the Sutter Health
Foundation in Sacramento, and health
records were downloaded from a server in Utah’s Department of Health. Data
breaches can hit close to home, as well. Emory
released information about a data breach connected to misplacing 10 backup
disks affecting more than 300,000 patients. Unfortunately, these breaches are
not unique, either. More than a hundred data breaches with similar stories are
found across the countries from government offices, hospitals, data management
companies, doctor’s offices, and billing companies.
Just from the
above listed scenarios, we see that personal and medical information related to
nearly 8 million patients was breached through hacking, thievery, and laziness
and from multiple mediums (backup tapes and disks, office hardware, and cyber
information). These events highlight the importance of security in all manner
of data management. Computer hardware should be secured and monitored. Backups
need to be stored securely. Old data should be decommissioned in a safe and
secure manner. And, password management continues to be often overlooked.
These data breaches
can cause lost contracts and lawsuits (as is the case with GRM Information
Management Services) and add billions in costs to the healthcare industry as
security efforts continue to rise. It is important to note that any company
associated with the healthcare industry is at risk. Companies should not allow
themselves to relax thinking that only big companies or hospitals are targeted.
Improper data security connected with one backup or one disgruntled employee
can leave a company vulnerable to fines and lawsuits.
The development of
a security plan and security controls can be intensive and overwhelming,
especially for smaller companies. Kardon Technology provides the assistance
required by companies that do not have a fully-staffed compliance department to
help with the ever changing data security environment.
These security and
compliance plans help tackle all avenues of breach protection from basic
computer protection through patch management and antivirus control to advanced
backup protection (with Managed Online backup) and user control management.
And, with the available Risk Analysis, we can monitor known vulnerabilities, as
well as identify possible security flaws. Contact Us to schedule your HIPAA/HITECH Compliance Readiness complimentary evaluation.
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