As the healthcare industry continues to rapidly digitize, the importance of data security is more critical. Protecting patient data is essential to preserving the trust that patients place in their healthcare providers. In this post, we will discuss some of the ways that healthcare organizations can protect their data and ensure that their patient’s information is kept safe:
1. HIPAA Security Rule
One of the more familiar regulations in regard to healthcare data security is HIPAA’s Security Rule. The Security rule explains how covered entities (healthcare providers, health plans, and Healthcare Clearinghouses) should handle protected health information (PHI), which includes individually-identifiable health information about a patient. It applies to both electronic and non-electronic PHI.
The most important aspect of the Security Rule is that it requires organizations to adopt policies and procedures that protect PHI from all reasonably anticipated threats and risks that would result in “significant harm” to individuals if their privacy were breached. If an organization fails to meet these standards with respect to ePHI, it can be fined by the HHS Office of Civil Rights. For example, if an organization discovers a breach of ePHI but was unaware of the vulnerability that led to the breach, they may not be fined for this specific instance. However, a failure to address a known data security issue could result in HHS imposing fines going forward.
2. Encryption and Pseudonymization
A common method of protecting PHI is through encryption – an approach that scrambles data so it cannot be read until it has been decrypted by the intended recipient using ‘keys’ or other methods. Healthcare providers should also ensure their databases remain secure from any unauthorized access – specifically by prohibiting all access from outside the network unless absolutely necessary. If PHI does have to travel off-network because of an internal business process, it should be done using a secure channel – such as a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
In addition to encryption and VPNs, the concept of Pseudonymization can also help healthcare organizations safely store data. Pseudonymization is a security strategy that replaces identifying information – such as patient names – with unique identifiers or ‘pseudonyms’ so that they cannot be traced back to their original source. When used correctly, this approach ensures that PHI is protected at all times, regardless of whether those who handle it have authorized access.
3. HIM Department Security Measures
Healthcare providers must ensure their own organization’s data remains secure and on an enterprise-wide level as well. This means that even if one department’s data is compromised, all patient information must not be at risk. For example, the Health Information Management (HIM) department would need to ensure that any PHI they receive or transfer to other departments is properly protected.
This entails not only following HIPAA guidelines in terms of PHI storage within the enterprise but also adhering to industry best practices when it comes to protecting their own systems from hackers and other types of security breaches. In short – even though a healthcare organization may have robust processes in place to protect patient data, there could still be vulnerabilities on an individual level, such as an employee who does not follow protocol after receiving a suspicious email. As such, everyone working for a healthcare provider should be educated on how to keep PHI secure at all times.
4. Data Theft Prevention
To ensure that PHI is safeguarded from internal and external threats, healthcare providers should implement strong security measures to help keep their data safe. To do so, they can
Limit access privileges and user functionality on a need-to-know basis and for specific time periods only.
- Track and monitor users’ activities with system logs, which would record every action performed by the various team members.
- Maintain strong access controls such as passwords that are regularly changed.
- Restrict the amount of data that employees can download onto portable drives or other storage devices (such as USBs), both during and after their tenure with an organization.
5. Training Employees on Data Security
To ensure that patient data is safe from any potential threat, all employees must receive training on best practices for keeping PHI secure. In this way, they will be more likely to identify and react quickly to potential risks.
For example, if an email with a link inside of it appears in the inbox of a member of staff, they may think twice before clicking on it out of concern that some type of malware or other security breaches could be initiated by doing so. Without proper training, however, individuals might not realize the risks involved with certain behaviors and end up opening themselves up to breaches by failing to follow protocol.
6. HIPAA Policies and Procedures
In addition to educating employees about best practices for ensuring PHI remains secure, healthcare providers must also implement updated HIPAA policies and procedures to help keep all department information safe. All members of staff should adhere to these updated guidelines at all times, even if they opt not to follow certain aspects due to personal preference.
For example, the updated policies may entail making sure that any PHI transferred between departments is encrypted or sent via other secure methods such as VPNs. If an individual deviates from these protocols in order to save time or for convenience purposes, patient data can be put at risk of exposure.
7. Data Encryption
Considering the amount of sensitive patient information stored on a healthcare provider’s network, it is crucial that it is protected with strong encryption systems. In this way, unauthorized individuals will not be able to obtain any information from the network even if they somehow gain access. The most common forms of encryption are AES and RSA.
8. Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Data loss prevention systems monitor network traffic for sensitive data leaving the organization and trigger alerts when such data is detected. DLP solutions can also be implemented at various levels – device, application, or database – depending on the exact needs of the healthcare provider. These types of systems help satisfy regulatory compliance mandates and reduce liability in case data is lost or stolen.
9. IT Security Staffing
To ensure all of these security measures are enforced properly, it is vital that healthcare IT support staff receive sufficient training and stay up-to-date on the latest threats. According to a recent survey, 18% of healthcare organizations don’t have a dedicated security staff, while 24% only have 1 person overseeing all cyber-security duties. Only by having strong internal expertise can an organization be sure that its data is safe from unauthorized access and malicious activity.
10. Security Risk Assessment
For any IT security system to succeed in protecting patient information, every provider has to follow best practices and be well-informed about potential risks and threats. Thus, it is vital for providers to conduct regular employee training sessions and ensure that they know how to identify suspicious activity or potential vulnerabilities on their network. Not only will this help the employees avoid putting the security of their own personal information at risk, but it will also help the organization prevent a data breach from occurring.
To Sum Up:
With all these measures in place, healthcare providers can be sure that their networks are safe from unauthorized access and data loss. To find out more about how you can protect your network with Medical ITG services, contact us today.
