Health Care And Data Breaches

This blog post is my 500th article!!! 

One of the most critical issues in the healthcare field today, for medical providers and facilities and for consumers, is the breach of personal health care information. The theft of personal medical records is big money on the black market, and ID theft due to that crime is rampant.

According to Modern Healthcare magazine, 2016 is being deemed the “year of data security” in healthcare—if only because 2015 was a substantial wake-up call for the industry. Nearly 90 percent of healthcare providers have been hit by data breaches in the last two years, according to security research firm Ponemon Institute, with many large-scale and criminally driven attacks publicized in 2015. More details are located at this website: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160227/SPONSORED/160229900/2016-the-year-of-data-security

HIT Consultant reports that one in three Americans were victims of healthcare data breaches in 2015, attributed to a series of large-scale attacks that each affected more than 10 million individuals. These and other statistics are contained in Bitglass’ 2016 Healthcare Breach Report.

Among the most significant findings of the report was that in 2015, 98 percent of record leaks were due to large-scale breaches targeting the healthcare industry. These high-profile attacks were the largest source of healthcare data loss and indicate that cyber attackers are increasingly targeting medical data.

Such breaches include the widely publicized Premera Blue Cross hack involving 11 million customers, and the Anthem hack which resulted in 78.8 million leaked customer records. More gosip is located at this website: http://www.itbusinessedge.com/slideshows/2016-security-trends-whats-next-for-data-breaches-06.html .

Hospitals, health systems, payers and any organization with stewardship of healthcare data are prime targets for cyberattacks, according to Becker’s Hospital Review (BHR). And there are plenty of cautionary tales showing just how much damage hackers can do. While no healthcare organization will ever be completely invulnerable to such attacks, they can learn from others' mistakes.

Here are four lessons, according to BHR, healthcare providers can consider when thinking about data breach prevention and preparedness:

1.    Don't fall prey to known vulnerabilities.

2.    Utilize experience-based training.

3.    Consider a third party for security audits.

4.    Create a contingency plan.

More information about this topic is available at this website: http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/4-healthcare-data-breach-lessons-to-take-to-heart.html .

Businesses, especially in the healthcare field, must always make every effort to protect patient information. That is their responsibility, and they can be held civilly responsible, and criminally responsible if there is a proven negligent act. As a consumer, you may receive a letter or an email informing you that your personal information may have gotten into the wrong hands as a result of a data breach.  Perhaps a media report alerted you to a security breach at a company where you do business.

Regardless of the type of data breach, medical information is more difficult to recover, manage, and restore, especially for consumers. According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, there are helpful tips on what to do if a breach has occurred. Much more detail is located at this website: https://www.privacyrights.org/how-to-deal-security-breach .

Always be diligent to monitor your healthcare information. Take steps to protect your personal data, and never provide your information to businesses that have no protection or privacy capabilities in place. Always ask who will see your information, and request a copy of their privacy policies. If you discover that a breach has occurred, take quick action to reduce the exposure and limit the damage that can be done. It’s your life. Keep it secret. Keep it safe.

Until next time.