Question

How does HMIS pose a threat to all health information stored electronically?

Answer 1

Ans) According to the major healthcare data breaches reported during the past years, the most common threats to data privacy and security include data theft, unauthorised access, improper disposal of data, data loss, hacking IT incidents and more.

Data Privacy and Security Risks In Healthcare Industry:

BYOD Policy:
The BYOD, that is, Bring Your Own Device Policy, which is being adopted at several hospitals, is a risk to the data privacy of patients and healthcare units and organisations. It is extremely important to improve data privacy and security within the various mobile health devices. While at one point doctors enjoy viewing patients information and receive clinical information via mobile apps, people are getting more and more access to data, risking security.

Cyber Attacks:
Cyber attacks are a clear and present threat to every industry, including the healthcare industry. It is difficult to protect one’s assets from cyber attacks. Cyber thieves most often dig into the information related to billing and insurance records. The reason is obvious – the thieves try to find out crucial information like security numbers, credit card info, etc., that can prove beneficial to them in monetary terms.

Cloud Computing:
Cloud computing is used widely in the healthcare industry and it has its own set of security issues. According to stats, over 13% of the cloud services used in the healthcare industry are at high risk and, about 77% of them are at medium risk.

Mistaking Compliances:
Often people mistake a compliant organization for a secure one. However, more than often, compliances turn out to be a more risky affair. It gives rise to external threats to critical information.

Medical Identity Theft:
Healthcare providers need to secure access to all their clinical applications since there have been cases of medical theft identity. Hackers used patients’ data to initiate their access into the information and get going with their way to more.

- If we listen to the various security experts, these data breaches within the healthcare industry will continue for more time. The reason that we are using mobile and cloud platforms in the healthcare industry will make it more vulnerable to the attack of extruders. We have to be aware of all the risks so as to get through all the possible threats to data privacy and security for the healthcare industry.