The Importance Of Cybersecurity In Healthcare
Healthcare facilities face a tough challenge in the form of increased cyberattacks. This aspect has been serving as a dark side of the healthcare digitization. The reason it is more serious than it seems is that cyberattacks compromise patient safety in several different ways. Moreover, data breaches put the reputation of a medical facility at stake and may lead to disciplinary actions. All this makes the role of cybersecurity in healthcare more crucial than ever.
In this blog, we will discuss the role of cybersecurity in patient care in detail, so read on.
Why Cyberthreats Are More Common in Healthcare
The reason healthcare organizations are most targeted by cyberattacks is that they possess highly valuable information. Patient records, in particular, hold high financial worth. The most targeted information includes patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI) and bank account and credit card details. Personally Identifying Information (PII), such as intellectual property and social security numbers, also get targeted.
All this intel has a high value in the dark web. More specifically, stolen health records have a demand ten times higher than credit card details. What makes the matter worse is that the cost of recovering from data breaches in healthcare is two or even three times higher than other industries.
What Is the Impact of Cyberattacks?
From a patient’s point of view, their privacy matters more than anything. But cyberattacks deprive them of this right. Hackers looking for sensitive patient information access electronic health records and PHI. Not only does this lead to information theft, but your credibility as a healthcare organization also comes into harm’s way. This can lead to penalties from HIPAA under Privacy and Security rules.
More importantly, these data breaches can affect the delivery of care to the patients in need. With corrupted or absent health records, you will not be able to treat your patients as planned. Such cases usually occur as a result of ransomware attacks. In some cases, a cyberattack may alter the patients’ data, which can lead to dangerous outcomes for their health.
Another major impact of cyberattacks will be on your finances. Restoring your system and recovering data demands significant expenditures. And while your systems are down, you will not be able to deal with your patients. All this can hit your bottom line. The financial strain can intensify further if you face lawsuits due to failing to protect your patient’s data.
How Can Cybersecurity Help Healthcare Practices?
You can prevent data breaches and information theft by updating your cybersecurity mechanism. Below is how web security can help your healthcare practice steer clear of digital mishaps.
Ensuring Patient Safety
Cybersecurity practices include data encryption and backup. These steps help ensure that your patients’ clinical data remains tamper-proof. You may also use data discovery and classification software to assort sensitive data that requires additional security. Not to mention, you must use antivirus and anti-ransomware software to prevent data breach and loss.
Maintaining Patient Trust and Privacy
Setting up cybersecurity in healthcare helps protect your patients’ EHRs and other sensitive information from unauthorized access. This essential measure will build your patients’ trust into your practice. They can rest assured that their privacy is not compromised at your end.
Ensuring Compliance and Avoiding Penalties
Cybersecurity in healthcare is a major requirement by HIPAA. Failing to meet this crucial criterion can lead to disciplinary actions and penalties. The reason is that the USA healthcare system takes data security seriously. It directs all medical practices to secure patient data and ensure its confidentiality.
Attaining Financial Stability
Preventing cyberattacks and resultant data breaches ensures smooth operations of your healthcare practice. There will be little to no operational downtime. Your patients will get timely service. And the cash flow will remain sustained. In the long term, this flawless work stream will lead to financial stability and practice growth.
Final Thoughts
Cyberattacks are a serious concern for medical practices. They can lead to compromised patient data safety, disrupted care provision, and financial implications for your organization. Therefore, the only way you can stay safe is investing in cybersecurity. It will keep your healthcare practice protected in this interconnected yet vulnerable digital sphere.
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