The focus on the consumer in health care does not always have a positive effect. For example, biosensors, blood pressure cuffs, hospital databases, etc., usually collect valuable information about their users. However, medical companies do not always consider the security risks of connecting these devices to the Internet. So, we’ll look at why this happens, how to protect personally identifiable information (PII), and how to stay within the law.
We started this article with a simple example: back in 2016, a group of researchers hacked a connected pacemaker and discovered several life-threatening vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, the lack of data encryption and poor authentication made this experiment a real case. Just think: owners of heart monitoring implants, infusion pumps, and wearables connected to the Internet are potential victims of cyberattacks. Likewise, IoT devices surround doctors and patients everywhere in the offices, healthcare CRM systems, and cloud resources. The only question is to what extent both interacting parties are protected.
HIPAA policies review
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that keeps the privacy of patient data safe. It establishes protected health information (PHI) rules related to a doctor’s current, past, and future examinations. The HIPAA covers different ways to disclose secrecy and guide staff members on the proper use of PHI.
Security is also determined by the integrity of ePHI, i.e., that it will not be altered or deleted without a legitimate reason. Interestingly, the authorized person has the right to regulate the actions’ validity. This demonstrates the scalability of regulations but also their vulnerability. After all, flexible solutions can sometimes hurt the safety of the patient and the treating physician.
Risk Analysis and Management
The primary privacy issue is to keep the patient’s health records (PHR) confidential. This is one of the main obstacles to cyberattacks exposing PII.
As the healthcare sector is one of the fastest to adopt the Internet, risk management often changes. For example, when there was a spike in the digitization of healthcare organizations between 2016 and 2017, there was a 600% increase in network penetration of their databases (Broadcom).
This prompted amendments to the law to protect wireless communications better. Unfortunately, the vulnerability of such systems has not yet been solved because, every day, there are new ways to break into them. That is why examination should be an ongoing activity in which an organization regularly reviews its access to ePHI and detects cyber-attacks.
Who is subject to HIPAA rules?
Not just patients and doctors are subject to confidentiality laws. For example, if you are dissatisfied with the service provided and then write a claim to any company, the incident is considered a confidential case. The same goes for government- and church-sponsored health plans and their processing. Performing assessment, data review, billing, and transaction behavior is also considered insured. But what if some information can still be disclosed?
First, cases of breach of confidentiality due to circumstances include emergency medical calls, surgeries, treatment, and payment for services. Incidents of unofficial permission also occur – for example, public interest activities do not prohibit using other people’s data. The same goes for gathering info for research. However, if a single person was not permitted to process it, there are several under which the third party acts within the law.
Take responsibility and keep yourself safe
To protect itself, an organization should implement a system of technical, administrative, and physical safeguards. It prevents third parties from accessing ePHI. To avoid becoming a party to unpredictable situations that negatively affect information safety, the organization should adhere to the rules and discuss them with colleagues and competitors. This will help create stable systems where neither the patient nor the doctor will be a vulnerable party and will act solely within the legal framework. Read on to find out how to make it a habit.
Why should you promote HIPAA awareness?
Several cases described in this article (when cyber-attacks with life-threatening risks to patients have occurred) are the root reasons why HIPAA should be promoted. If your company is a covered entity or an HHS business associate subject to HIPAA, you should consider proper personnel conduct with data. You can’t let personnel forget about accountability because that’s the trigger to developing system vulnerabilities.
A disturbing statistic: according to Health IT Security, 78% of healthcare workers lack data privacy preparedness. Millions of people trust this industry with their lives, hoping for a better outcome. But in fact, it turns out that medical institutions have developed a metastasis of insecurity due to a significant gap in data encryption, login authentication, and mishandling of ePHI.
Therefore, for patient care to extend beyond the doctor’s office while still providing fair treatment, the organization must adhere to the HIPAA rulebook. After all, it is not only a guarantor of the patient’s safety but also of insured third parties.
Conclusions
This article will be beneficial for organizations related to HIPAA regulations. Developed biosensors, health trackers, and other devices and software should also show concern for preserving each patient’s privacy. The flexibility and scalability of the body of law help organizations protect their integrity and prevent vulnerabilities.
