HIPAA Compliance
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA is a compliance standard that is designed to protect sensitive patient data. Any organization that deals with protected health information (PHI) is obligated to maintain and follow process, network and physical security measures in order to be HIPAA-compliant.
Concerns Associated With HIPAA Compliance
- HIPAA violations attract hefty penalties.
- Adequate training for handling PHI and dealing with malicious security attacks is critical.
- It is imperative to have a Security Incident Response Plan (SIRP) in place to deal with a security event.
- Professional assistance is required to handle the complexity of audits and to maintain the right documentation.
Protected Health Information (PHI) threats are a significant concern for every healthcare-related organization because:
- In 2021, over 29 million healthcare records were compromised in the US alone.
- Ransomware attacks had cost the healthcare industry over $20 billion in 2021.
- Under the HIPAA privacy rule, a ransomware attack is a notifiable violation even if PHI is just encrypted and not copied or stolen. Therefore, proactive defense against all forms of cyberthreats is vital for organizations in the healthcare sector.
Ransomware impact on patient care
- Delays in Care
- Temporarily closed facilities
- Lost patient data
- Paper record challenges
- Privacy Concerns