How Secure Is Your Healthcare Data? 7 Steps to Protect Patient Information

Every day, we hear disturbing allegations of data mishandling incidents, ranging from data violations to stolen information and personal records. It is these very troubling allegations of data mishandling that we see nearly every day.

Mishandled data security in healthcare field comes with a unique set of challenging allegations. You might have come across the 2014 hack against Community Health Systems, which resulted in stolen information that affected nearly 4.5 million people. Data safety is becoming an increasing worry for healthcare data security organizations, and for an excellent reason.

We are all aware that healthcare organizations create and gain information at record speed. According to a study, big data for US healthcare will reach 1024 gigabytes in the coming years. (Source: ricoh-usa.com).

As the volume of healthcare data grows, it inevitably puts data privacy and safety at risk. Data privacy and security violations not only spoil your organization’s reputation and compromise patient relationships, but they also result in major expenditures.

How secure is your healthcare data?

For hackers and cybercriminals, patient data is a valuable asset. Medical records contain a plethora of personal information, such as financial details, social security numbers, and medical histories. Consequently, it is essential to evaluate the security of healthcare data and implement proactive measures to ensure its effective protection.

The Significance of Healthcare Data Security

There are numerous compelling reasons why it is imperative to guarantee the security of healthcare data. We must prioritize patient privacy to preserve trust and adhere to ethical standards. Patients trust healthcare providers with their most private information, so any breach can damage their reputation and well-being. Additionally, identity theft, insurance fraud, and other illicit activities may result from unauthorized access to healthcare data security.

Here are 7 ways that you need to follow to protect against vulnerabilities and improve your healthcare IT security:

1. Two-factor verification

Two-factor verification is a commonly used authentication technique in most healthcare organizations, and it remains a reliable username/password combination. Still, even with strong password policies in place, i.e., character limits, alphanumeric requirements,, and automatic expiration, they are not reasonably adequate to prevent a persistent attacker. This technique makes sure an additional security layer is in place, usually in the form of physical or biometric control, like swipe cards, security tokens, fingerprint scanners, or facial identification. While all offer a bonus degree of security and another obstacle for an attacker, the final two propose the strongest security while reducing the risk of forgetting or misplacing security devices.

2. Security checks and alerts

Nearly all healthcare IT systems in use today have some structure of practical observation that alerts IT staff to possible problems, such as performance degradation, storage space capacity, or unexpected outages. In the same way, security monitoring systems can recognize usage patterns and alert security personnel when exceptions arise. Rapid detection of potential security threats allows for a prompt resolution of issues before they compromise the system.

3. Encryption at Rest

IT departments prioritize the safe encryption of data during transfer, especially when it’s moving from a secure network to an external location like a teleradiology network. This safeguards data movement. While this protects data movement, it often leaves the data unencrypted when it is inactive in storage, leaving it vulnerable to an access breach. This extra layer of safety would prevent a probable intruder from decoding or dispensing the data in any meaningful way, even if they were to gain access.

4. Whitelisting

Application control, also known as whitelisting, involves limiting the applications, users, systems, and devices that can connect to your network to those openly listed on the ‘whitelist’. You cannot gain access if your name is not on the list. There are several ways to deal with whitelisting, including domain names, file and folder attributes, digital signatures, cryptographic attributes, physical or IP addresses, and more. Maintaining a whitelist, despite its seeming complexity, serves as an effective method to safeguard against vulnerabilities introduced by external users and non-IT department-controlled devices.

5. Retain a secure backup of your data

Ensure that a secure copy of your data is backed up and that you have a tested recovery plan in the event of an intrusion. This weakens these consequences and allows operations to continue as-is (or close) with little to no change in service delivery. Backups should be cross-geographical to prevent locking in potentially compromised systems and networks during attacks targeting data availability or consistency.

6. Blockchain

Although seldom put into practice in healthcare, this more developed alternative assures a highly secure (and valid) way to exchange data. The blockchain securely distributes data through a network of nodes that store, validate, and track information and transactions between them, ensuring that no single entity owns or has complete control over the system.

7. Look to the professionals

Another common problem in many healthcare organizations is the need for true security proficiency within the IT team. Because of budget restrictions, many IT personnel are known as ‘jacks of all trades’, mastering storage, server and workstation hardware, virtualization, software management, and more. To make sure your data and systems are well protected; it is necessary to employ a security expert. Engaging a professional resource, such as an experienced consultant, can assist you in identifying and implementing security controls and processes alongside your existing team.

At last, it’s essential to keep in mind that security is an ever-present necessity across the healthcare industry, and like many other aspects of healthcare IT, it does not offer a one-size-fits-all solution.

Why Velan HCS?

For over a decade, our legacy and established expertise as a medical billing service provider have exposed us to the complexities of the business. We keep track of every little change that is likely to impact your claims.

Read more on our site now, or give us a call at any time if you’d like to receive further attention. We would be delighted to answer all your queries.

Learn more about our services at Velan HCS.

Conclusion

Do you need a dependable medical billing service that values patient information and data security? Then bet your stakes on Velan Medical Billing! Our professional group is familiar with the crucial importance of maintaining the highest standards, complying with legislation, and obtaining healthcare certification. Best practices and the highest level of security, allow you to focus solely on providing top-notch patient care. Protect patient health information and ensure the security of your healthcare data with the help of Velan for Medical Billing.