It seems almost impossible to imagine, but your data may not be 100% in healthcare systems. In fact, 94% of hospitals had leaked data with an average number of stolen records at 2,769. That’s a lot of data containing all sorts of private information. And even though almost all organizations are working to protect and secure their information (and in some cases your information) more than half of organizations report that they have no confidence that they can detect all data loss activities.
Security and network breaches are a serious issue. Not only is it potentially detrimental to the patients we server, but it can also carry hefty fines. Whether the data was gained through malware, stolen computers, or a software malfunction it is still considered a HIPAA violation and is unacceptable in the healthcare industry.
The following infographic displays statistics and other data related to data loss.
Data Breach Stats infographic developed by LifeLock.com
So what can you do to protect yourself?
- Change your password frequently.
- Enroll in identity theft services.
- Limit sharing of personal information.
- Follow news on data breaches.
- Are you sure that your healthcare providers are protecting your private health information (PHI)
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The most important issues here are what would fix the problem potentially, and how we can implement such solutions(s). My proposal: pay hospitals better for security and/or pay them less for each instance of poor security. Clearly, clear financial incentives move insititiuonal behavior, while voluntary measures invariably fall far short. If this issue matters, and I believe it does, let’s move on it and improve things in a way that works: wringing our hands and focusing on “awareness” gets us basically nowhere. We badly need to start deciding what we demand from our expensive health care and paying for that, no more, and no less.
GregMercer1 securing data is a race that never ends. As soon as you think you’re ahead of the game the hackers step up their game. Preserving data and securing it in healthcare is not a voluntary action. It’s law. There are big fines associated with a data breach.
If you can think of a solution better than what network security administrators already utilize, I am sure any of them would be happy to hear it. I’m also sure you could take your idea to the bank because everyone is healthcare is looking for a better solution.