2018 is proving to be a promising year for CIO development and innovation. CIO events are bringing more opportunities to the table, as participants are provided with time to network, meet and collaborate on bigger initiatives. Below is a list of the upcoming CIO events occurring in the US throughout the remainder of 2018:
The HIPAA Security Rule has a set list of requirements for covered entities to adhere to, all of which aim to ensure that organizations housing sensitive personal health information (PHI) are able to secure themselves against potential hackers. One of the conditions for being considered HIPAA compliant is to identify and protect against reasonably anticipated threats. 2017 was a year full of international cyber attacks, which heavily affected health care functions worldwide. Consequently, a new tactic that emerged and is currently being adopted by a growing number of healthcare entities is the use of military war-games to test the strength of cyber security barriers. This consists of a simulation of events that are controlled by the players in the game (in this case, hackers VS defenders).
Even though HIPAA awareness and training is in abundance all across the US, the Department of Health and Human Services received 1,996 breaches in only the first half of 2017. It seems that no matter how hard organizations try, they continue to fall victim to breaches and attacks and do not take sufficient corrective measures to avoid future issues. In response, we have compiled a list of some of the most important lessons learned from 2017 HIPAA violations:
Presence Health, a healthcare network based in Illinois, earlier in 2017 acceded to pay a $475,000 fine after not reporting a breach of unsecured protected health information in a timely fashion. Officials of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) are noting that the length of time it took Presence to report the breach was not in accordance with HIPAA standards. This action represents the first HIPAA enforcement by the OCR on a healthcare provider for lack of timely notification of a breach.
Cyber attacks are bad news for both business owners and consumers alike. It has become a serious problem for many Canadian businesses, as attacks of this nature are on the rise for the third straight year. In specific, instances of ransomware, malware and botnet attacks were expected to increase in 2017.
Healthcare providers and organizations are investing in cybersecurity with the growing pervasiveness and sophistication of cyber crime. Cyber criminality is becoming both more anonymous and more lucrative, opening the market for hackers and other cyber criminals to prey on healthcare providers. Despite the healthcare industry estimated to spend $65 billion on cyber security through 2021, cyberattacks are expected to quadruple by the year 2020. Regardless of financial precaution, cyber criminals are being aided by certain factors the healthcare industry has yet to remedy:
With cyber attacks on healthcare becoming more sophisticated and pervasive, it is increasingly clear healthcare providers have insufficient and outdated approaches to security. Digital security utilized by most healthcare providers functions by protecting against individual and immediate attacks, instead of being a universal, extensive strategy. For healthcare providers, tending to and caring for ill patients is the top priority, so any breach of data or any C-Suite member becoming compromised would result in total calamity for healthcare centers and their patients.
The following are five of the biggest threats facing healthcare cyber security:
The number of breaches of unsecured protected health information (PHI) on record in the United States is over 2000 and counting. Significantly, these records only cover breaches affecting 500 or more individuals. One can only wonder how many more breaches have occurred on a smaller scale. The types of breaches range from theft and hacking, to improper disposal and unauthorized access as a result of negligence. Such incidents can be avoided if covered entities (companies involved in healthcare) ensure that all of their business associates are secured. There are many reasons why it is important to have secure business associates. Being aware of these reasons may prompt covered entities to take the necessary measures to protect their clientele's information:
In October of 2016, a massive cyber attack against Dyn, a New Hampshire-based company that monitors internet traffic, blocked user access to many popular websites like Amazon, Twitter and Paypal. Hackers used a simple program that even novice hackers could use to access any device connected to Wifi. This is one of approximately 3000 cases in 2016 alone. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make yourself 100% hack proof, but here are some ways that you can make it difficult for hackers to access your information:
For healthcare organizations, remaining HIPAA compliant can be both necessary and challenging. In the United States, healthcare organizations are required to abide by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. This act provides guidelines pertaining to the handling of patient information across a number of platforms.
In an article by Kristen Lee, titled Q&A: The main reason healthcare organizations violate HIPAA, an interview is conducted with Michael Archuleta, director of IT and HIPAA security officer at Mt. San Rafael Hospital in Trinidad, Colorado. It is within this interview that Archuleta recommends two important items that can ensure HIPAA compliance:
