Every day, the news is filled with stories about hacker breaches and data exposures. Billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of terabytes of data have been compromised … it’s difficult NOT to be a little nervous.
But are you really at risk for Russian collusion? Are hackers really chiseling away at your backdoor, looking for any way in?
Maybe.
What prevents anyone from hopping into your car as it sits out in the parking lot and driving away? Locks and keys. The locks prevent someone from being able to open the door and get into your car. The key prevents the ability to start it up and drive away.
“We’ve been hacked.”
That’s something no company director wants to hear. But in the medical industry, it can be even more severe. Data breaches can be costly; HIPAA violations add a whole other level to the costs. Over $19 million was paid out in HIPAA fines alone in 2017, with fees already reaching $8 million in 2018.
Of course, money isn’t the only thing you can lose in the process.
Ever since the concept of the electronic health record (EHR) program made its way into our modern healthcare system, the term “patient engagement” has grown right alongside it. It doesn’t make sense to have one without the other.
Patient engagement involves building a system that allows a patient to manage his or her own health.
Is your medical practice targeting seniors?
In 2015, almost 48 million people in the United States were over the age of 65. That’s just shy of 15 percent of the total population. By 2060, that number is expected to rise closer to 25 percent.
As you age, you need more medical attention.
When you’re piecing together your office system strategies, you look for things that will make you more efficient. You want apps that cut down on replicating your work. You look for intuitive software that speeds up entry and modification.
But health data is a little different than other forms of information.
How strong is your IT security policy? Do you have the confidence your policies could stand up to a major attack? Most organizations do … until the unthinkable happens.
You walk in and boot up your equipment, ready for another day at the office. But as different pieces of equipment warm up, you notice something is wrong.
In the 21st Century Cures Act, interoperability is defined as the ability of different information technology systems and software applications to communicate and exchange data with ease. Then once the data moves between various applications, it should also be used with ease without any special effort on the part of the user.
Think back for a moment about your life in the healthcare system. Over the years, you’ve visited a lot of different medical practitioners for a variety of different things. You’ve seen:
A general practitioner for general care
Specialists for specific problems along the way
An x-ray technician when you thought you broke your ankle
The lab when your doctor requested blood work
A pharmacist to pick up your medication
An ob-gyn when you started your family
In and out you’ve weaved through medical facilities and doctors offices as you worked hard to stay as healthy as possible.
IT teams have a lot of challenges on their hands today. But I don’t have to tell you that. You’re battling them all the time.
What makes it even more strenuous is the speed at which new technology is being developed. Has your organization adopted AI? Or how about the Internet of Things: Are your medical devices becoming smarter every day?
The average healthcare organization now uses more than 900 different cloud-based services throughout their practice.