Patient Healthcare Data Security for Medical Practices

Summary: This article delves into the tools and strategies employed by medical practices to uphold the health information privacy of their patients. The governance of health information privacy by federal law is stringent and non-negotiable. Failing to protect this data exposes your practice to ongoing legal liability for every record breached. Learn how to ensure your practice is fully compliant and upholds its responsibility to protect patient data.

For hackers, stealing sensitive, personal information is a full-time job. They collect private data and sell it to malicious actors on the Dark Web. In this context, for high-compliance companies such as medical practices, layers of healthcare cyber security are essential, given the constant attempts to steal valuable patient data. Cyber security layers help ensure that patient data is restricted and can only be accessed by doctors or other designated medical and insurance parties. These measures are effective in safeguarding patient data and maintaining the confidence of patients and employees in the data security of your practice.

Health Information Security and Patient Data Privacy

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, was enacted “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes.”

Any cyber security plan for healthcare organizations requires protection from internal and external threats. Because of the numerous platforms used in the healthcare industry, it is imperative that cyber protection runs across all of them. Some of the typical areas requiring robust data protection include:

• Management Support Systems – These systems support the management of a medical practice and store patient private healthcare information.
• Electronic Prescription Systems – Medical practices use prescribing platforms to generate, store and manage patient prescriptions.
• Radiology Data – Access and Storage – Patients’ radiology medical images, such as x-rays, MRIs and radiologic data, must be treated as highly sensitive private data.
• Internet of Medical Things – Many connected medical devices that are part of a practice's network are potential avenues for a data breach and must be secured, such as remote patient-monitoring devices, infusion pumps and cardiologic data collection devices. They are all vulnerable network endpoints that must be addressed.
• Systems That Support Clinical Decisions – These platforms permit healthcare professionals to access all client data for analysis, diagnosis, prognosis and decision-making. Clinical decision platforms have access to all the healthcare data for their patients and must be fully protected from an EHR data breach.
• Operational Support Devices – IoT – Smart technology is built into many of the support services required for a medical practice or medical facility. Elevators, security cameras, printers, smart screens, HVAC controls and other necessary support devices must also be protected from cyber interruptions as they can seriously impact healthcare operations and patient care.

Healthcare network security for medical offices is vital to protecting the privacy of patient data and reducing data breach liability risk for medical practices. Only authorized parties should be permitted access. In addition to protecting various connected systems, cyber security must address the needs of all users with different priorities, tasks or medical practice goals. Any party that connects to your network (including connected vendor partners such as billing, accounting, insurance and supply partners) must comply with your healthcare data security best practices. Medical practice cyber security requires a team effort and is only effective if all those with network data access follow patient data security rules.

Electronic Health Record Security

Unfortunately, breaches of healthcare data have hit an all-time high. The question is no longer “if” your medical practice will face a cyberattack but “when?” Will you be prepared? ERHs are the lifeblood of patient care and contain the most private data stored on the practice network. An EHR data breach can have a devastating effect on your patient's confidence in your practice, as well as lead to costly lawsuits and possible bankruptcy. (Over 60% of small businesses close their doors in the year following a data breach.) Some of the attack methods cybercriminals use to gain access to EHR include:

• Phishing Emails – In 90% of cyberattacks, malware enters a network when an employee clicks on a malicious link in an email. Hackers are exceptionally skilled at creating phishing emails to trick users into actions that will allow bad actors access to your medical practice’s network data by disguising an email to appear to be from a trusted source. Next, they contain malicious links or attachments that, once clicked on, allow malware to be “injected” into your computer system. This malware may collect keystrokes containing logins and passwords, personally identifiable information (PII), and private medical information. Once in the network, cybercriminals may return repeatedly to gather new data. All connected users must receive training to observe consistent and safe protocols for protecting practice email and system account logins and passwords.
• Ransomware Attacks – Ransomware attacks continue to be on the rise. However, for a medical practice or medical facility, a ransomware attack can cost far more than money – it can cost patients’ lives. Ransomware attacks are a significant threat to healthcare data security. Still, if the entire system is compromised and held for ransom, many of the network data and diagnostic tools that support healthcare will not be available to medical practice professionals. Also, if a facility’s HVAC or life support systems are compromised and unavailable, patient care will be further diminished. In addition, when patients suffer or die due to a network cyberattack, ongoing lawsuits and damaged reputations can put a medical practice out of business.

Cyber security for medical practices and healthcare data security are challenging tasks. The legal compliance required to protect patients’ EHRs is strict and carries substantial reputational, compliance and financial consequences. Professional cyber security experts are required to ensure your practice’s health information privacy is robust and that your practice complies with all patient data network security requirements.