Cybersecurity

The digital security of healthcare institutions and data is a growing concern, with an increasing number of cyberattacks each year against healthcare systems, which are seen as easy targets. Cyber attacks often use ransomware to target personal health information, patient data and medical devices to cut off access to the data until a ransom is payed to the hacker. Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using malware, ransomware and spyware to attack outdated and vulnerable systems and software. Due to the interconnected nature of hospital IT systems today, the weakest link can be older web-enabled medical devices, including clinical and non-clinical systems. Employees are also a major target of attacks via malicious e-mails that prompt them to open attachments that then download malware onto the hospital's IT system.

NSA revelations raise questions about privacy

With the Sept. 23 compliance deadline for the HIPAA Omnibus Rule inching closer, new revelations about the National Security Agency’s (NSA’s) ability to circumvent or crack much of the encryption that guards IT systems, including those for medical records, may stir more questions about the ability to protect and secure personal health information.

September 6, 2013

Hearing covers HIPAA misinterpretation

A misunderstanding or over-interpretation of HIPAA by healthcare providers is preventing vital health information from being shared with family and caregivers, according to an April 26 Congressional hearing on the law.

April 29, 2013

Around the web

U.S. health systems are increasingly leveraging digital health to conduct their operations, but how health systems are using digital health in their strategies can vary widely.

When human counselors are unavailable to provide work-based wellness coaching, robots can substitute—as long as the workers are comfortable with emerging technologies and the machines aren’t overly humanlike.

A vendor that supplies EHR software to public health agencies is partnering with a health-tech startup in the cloud-communications space to equip state and local governments for managing their response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup