Very vulnerable.
A visit to the doctor may put individuals more at risk for identity fraud than having their bank accounts hacked or credit cards stolen.
Why?
The health care industry is often behind banks and credit card companies in protecting sensitive information.
We can help your practice get protected by completing a thorough HIPAA risk assessment. Subscribe to stay current and up to date on important HIPAA compliance matters that will impact your practice. (To subscribe to our blog Click Here).
Last year the FBI warned healthcare companies that they were not doing enough to resist cyberattacks.
Over 10 million people in the U.S. were affected by healthcare data breaches last year. These breaches are the results of hacking and accidents, such as lost laptops.
We help our clients perform risk assessments to identify security and privacy issues, before a breach ever occurs.
It is estimated that the healthcare industry is 10 years behind the financial services sector in terms of protecting consumer information.
The Anthem Breach.
The vulnerability of health care data was exemplified by the breach last week, of Anthem’s database. Anthem is the nation’s second-largest health insurer, and more than 80 million people were affected by the breach.
Anthem’s stolen data was not encrypted. Weak security, especially weak security for login credentials, is being blamed for the breach.
The attack on Anthem serves as a reminder that no practice or organization is safe from a breach and the time to get prepared is now.
Prepare your practice now by:
- Identifying security weaknesses;
- Performing a comprehensive risk analysis;
- Implementing policies and procedures;
- Training your staff on breach preparedness; and
- Testing your system with internal audits.
In our next blog post, we will keep you informed of related issues. To get this important information delivered directly to your mail box, Click here to Subscribe
Do you need help with your breach preparedness plan or performing a HIPAA risk assessment? We can help. To contact us about breach readiness, HIPAA risk assessments, or your other legal needs: CLICK HERE.
P.S. If you or your patients are interested in consumer healthcare issues, check out myhealthspin.com.
