The worldwide healthcare industry has the greatest incidence of cyberattacks and security breaches, per a report published by Ponemon and IBM. While the global average for all businesses is less than half of that amount, at about $4.35 million, the average cost of a data breach for healthcare organizations is over $10.1 million.
Healthcare companies frequently do not give cybersecurity first priority, which results in inadequate security protocols, noncompliance with regulations, and a lack of cyber resilience strategies. However, there is a need for healthcare organizations to secure their networks, data storage, and third-party vendor security immediately due to the potential for significant fines and penalties for cybersecurity violations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) laws.
In this blog, you will know about the top 11 tips to prevent data breaches in healthcare, ensuring that your data protection strategies are up to date and effective.
The Importance of Data Security in Healthcare
In 2021, the number of healthcare data breaches reached a new peak, extending a trend that over the previous three years had seen a more than threefold increase in compromised U.S. health information. Because they can be worth up to 40 times more on the dark web than credit card theft because they contain sensitive information like Social Security numbers, financial information, and biometric data, healthcare records are especially appealing to thieves.
The digital transformation of the healthcare industry is intimately linked to the increase in security breaches. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are used to manage treatment workflows, and connected devices are used to collect patient data. Modern healthcare is heavily dependent on data. Digitally enabled technology are becoming a necessary part of healthcare, from simple operations to sophisticated therapies. Furthermore, as providers use web-based platforms and outside technologies to guarantee seamless and efficient patient care, the telehealth industry’s explosive growth has raised the need for strong data security.
Ensuring data security is crucial in safeguarding this entire ecosystem. When implemented correctly, a thorough data security approach leads to three main goals:
- Patient trust & loyalty: Patients today are empowered to shop about for the “best” care, and they are becoming more and more aware of the protection of their personal information. A strong data security program guards against reputational harm from data breaches, which can lead to a decline in patient volume.
- Care quality & patient safety: Delivering high-quality care and reducing patient safety risks is the primary goal of healthcare practitioners, and this goal is fundamentally dependent on maintaining continuous access to patient health information and the operation of vital technologies and systems.
- Avoiding costs associated with breaches: Healthcare is already at the forefront of data privacy laws, and as laws are being tightened, even minor violations may result in substantial fines. However, fines represent but a small portion of the overall expenses associated with a security breach. For instance, a typical cyberattack on a midsize hospital would cause them to go offline for 10 hours on average, at an hourly cost of $45,700.
Why Do Cybercriminals Target Healthcare?
The healthcare industry faces particular difficulties that require for specialized attention to data breach protection techniques. Healthcare companies combine the following and contribute to vital global infrastructure:
- Large amounts of data: The World Economic Forum estimates that hospitals generate about 50 petabytes of data annually. The information may be more valuable the more data that is gathered.
- Sensitive data: One of the most sensitive types of data is clinical record data. Healthcare facilities retain financial data, medical records, and information on ailments and conditions in addition to personally identifiable information (PII).
- Slow transitions from legacy systems: Hospitals are continuing to abandon paper-based or other antiquated systems in favor of contemporary storage options, such as cloud services, since they have access to more medical records than ever before and can keep them on hard drives and servers. This shift may result in certain misunderstandings, miscommunications, and configuration errors, which could create weak points that hackers could take advantage of.
- Lack of third-party security: Sensitive data is accessible to third parties, including managed IT services and cloud storage providers. They broaden the institutions they support’s potential points of attack.
Top 11 Tips To Prevent Data Breaches In Healthcare
As you can see, healthcare organizations need to take steps against potential data breaches. Ten strategies to strengthen your data security are listed below:
1. Evaluate Existing Healthcare Security Practices
To begin, evaluate the efficacy of your present security measures by conducting an internal audit. Determine the weak points in your system and devise plans to strengthen them. Finding and addressing vulnerabilities should be your top priority if you want to improve your overall security posture, minimize risks, and safeguard private medical data.
2. Verify Compliance of Security Systems
Conducting an internal audit will help you make sure your security systems follow best practices. To ensure compliance, compare your systems to industry norms and legal requirements. By ensuring that your organization’s systems are reliable and compliant with current security requirements, this strategy not only helps you satisfy your legal duties but also increases confidence in your security measures.
3. Collaborate with Reliable Partners
Make sure external suppliers, such insurance companies or billing services, adhere to strict security guidelines while interacting with them. Examine their information security procedures to make sure they meet your security needs. By selecting dependable partners who uphold comparable security protocols, you protect patient information and lower the possibility of vulnerabilities brought about by third-party services.
4. Create an Incident Response Plan
Create a thorough incident response plan to handle possible security breaches. This strategy should contain explicit standards for communication and decision-making, as well as comprehensive procedures for controlling and lessening the consequences of a breach. A thoroughly thought-out response strategy facilitates prompt incident handling, limiting damage and halting the breach’s escalation.
5. Enhance End-User System Security
Strong security measures should be used to safeguard end-user systems because they could be points of access for hackers. Put strong security measures in place and update software frequently to fix bugs. It is imperative to guarantee the security of endpoints, as improperly protected systems may be abused, so compromising the entire security of your healthcare institution.
6. Restrict Access to Sensitive Data
Restrict authorized personnel’s access to private health information. To avoid unwanted access, create a clear hierarchy for data access and regularly monitor user rights. You can greatly lower the chance of data breaches and make sure that data access is strictly controlled by limiting who has access to and can handle critical information.
7. Ongoing Staff Training on Security
Provide regular training to your employees on HIPAA compliance and best practices for healthcare security. Make sure they are aware of their responsibility for protecting patient information and the repercussions of disregarding security guidelines. Constant training helps remind employees of their duty to preserve data security and keeps them informed about new dangers.
8. Implement Network Segmentation
Divide your network into more manageable, separate subnetworks to lessen the effect of a possible security compromise. By limiting breaches to particular regions, this strategy keeps them from impacting the network as a whole. Reducing the chance of widespread data compromise within your business and restricting harm are two ways that effective network segmentation improves security.
9. Upgrade IT Infrastructure
To strengthen defenses against data breaches, update or modernize your IT infrastructure on a regular basis. Investing in modern technology is essential because outdated systems are susceptible to attacks. Stronger security measures and the protection of sensitive healthcare data from changing threats and vulnerabilities are supported by a contemporary, well-maintained infrastructure.
10. Conduct Regular Security Testing
Conduct routine security testing to find and fix any possible vulnerabilities in your systems. Regular evaluations assist in making sure your security protocols are strong and resistant to intrusions. You can fortify your defenses and lower the likelihood that thieves will take advantage of holes in your security architecture by proactively testing and fixing vulnerabilities.
11. Maintain HIPAA Compliance
By keeping up with the latest requirements, you can make sure your company continues to comply with HIPAA rules. To ensure compliance with legal requirements, audit and review your procedures on a regular basis. Consider employing a third-party auditor to check your compliance and readiness, ensuring you are well-prepared to defend against sophisticated cyber threats and preserve patient data.
Conclusion
To protect sensitive patient data in today’s increasingly digital healthcare environment, strong security measures must be maintained. You may dramatically lower the danger of data breaches by regularly training your team, working with reputable partners, assessing and improving your security procedures, and making sure of compliance.
Your defenses are further strengthened by putting tactics like network segmentation and regular security testing into practice. Your company will be protected from new attacks if you upgrade your IT infrastructure on a proactive and diligent basis and follow HIPAA standards. Prioritizing these measures not only secures patient information but also upholds confidence and integrity in your healthcare operations.