Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely protect against a breach, however you can take measures to protect your practice.
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Breaches continue to attack healthcare organizations and hackers continue to gain skills and improve malware.
How can you protect your healthcare practice against a potential breach?
Use technology. It may be your best defense. Make sure to:
- Allocate your resources accordingly. Make sure to have a sufficient security budget for technology, risk assessments, monitoring, spam filters, and antivirus software. Have adequate protections against malware and make sure that systems are updated regularly.
- Segment your networks, if possible. If your networks are segmented into micro-perimeters, hackers will not be able to gain access to all data even if they get past the initial perimeter.
- Encrypt all protected health information. Encryption is your primary protection against breaches. It should be used all the time when transmitting healthcare data. Encryption goes a long way in reducing costs and fines and keeping patients’ good will.
- Keep your inventory up to date. Make sure to know where all of your practice’s devices are, including cell phones, USBs, and laptops. Don’t allow access to your networks on outside devices.
Technology is extremely important in fighting against a breach, but don’t forget to take other precautions against breaches as well.
Make sure to have up to date policies and procedures and ensure that your staff is thoroughly trained. Your staff is your first defense against a discovered breach. They should act quickly and without hesitation.
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