Cyber-Threats in Healthcare: Understanding and Protecting Against the Risks

In many healthcare organizations, the lab is often viewed as the black box orders come in, results come out. Reasons may vary from leadership not understanding the complexities of the lab, not understanding the breadth of accessibility or impact of the lab in other areas of the organization or simply because the percent revenue made from the lab or spend is not impactful. More broadly, laboratory leadership does not connect the critical activities of the lab to the strategic imperatives of the organization as a whole.

Its a bitter pill to swallow: with the rise of high-deductible health plans and the ability to shop around for care, patients arent loyal to practices the way they once were. Everyone tells you to focus on patient engagement, but what tactics actually keep patients-and potential revenue-from walking out the door?

IoT has transformed healthcare in a significant way and is a game-changer for providers who embrace next-generation technology. Technologies that track patient data, improve healthcare operations, and provide remote and mobile patient monitoring help reduce costs and improve delivery of patient care. The variety and novelty of these devices introduces a range of cybersecurity concerns related to the Confidentiality-Integrity and Availability (CIA) triad that underpins HIPAA compliance, patient data protection, and overall information security. There are steps you can take, both before your medical devices get hacked and after it happens. Learn how to detect intruders and expel them quickly so that you can maintain your security posture and quality of patient care.

As we move into a new era of health care with the increased exchange of medical records in order to provide better, more coordinated care, the question of what information received from outside an organization should be included in a medical record takes on new importance. What with health homes, personal health records, and health information exchanges, as well as increased involvement by patients using digital tools like smart watches and smart phone apps, there is a torrent of information being directed at medical records, and it is essential to understand what belongs there and what should be rejected, and how. This information may come in the form of unsolicited health information, for example, information that is volunteered by patients or by other health care providers, either at the time the patient arrives for treatment or thereafter, and in some cases even after the patient has been discharged.