Medical facilities work with sensitive patient data that, in any case, should not be leaked. As a result, medical facilities such as hospitals, laboratories, and others have to maintain strict regulatory compliance standards that include specialized security training for staff members and deployment of operational access control that meets the needs of patients and that of medical staff well.
Today’s access control and data security solutions can integrate with several systems within the healthcare sector. Not only does it provide better security to sensitive data, but it also leads to incremental enhancement in efficiency and savings in investment costs. With the help of this article, we are trying to explain the importance of role access and data security in the healthcare industry. In addition, what are the top threats that the healthcare industry is facing these days, and how can they be solved?
Why does the Healthcare Industry need Access Control and Data Security?
Given the sensitivity of healthcare records, data security concerns have become a foremost priority where the data encryption needs to be impeccably streamlined with the rest of the information management. A minor security breach could affect trust and endanger patients’ lives.
Data is the backbone of the modern-day healthcare system. In recent years the healthcare industry has been the most targeted regarding cyber-attacks. The average cost of a healthcare data breach in the US has reached $9.3 million. Thus, IT experts put a lot of effort into securing healthcare data and locked up behind tremendous security.
With the implementation of access control and data security, healthcare centres will have a comprehensive multi-pronged approach to ensure security and be empowered to fight growing cybercrime. Furthermore, with access control and data security in place, healthcare industry leaders must also develop compliance standards when formulating data protection policies.
Some of the major healthcare data risk factors
The healthcare industry works with many data assets, including patients’ health information and other personal data that should not be leaked. But even these two are considered the slice of the pie that attracts cybercriminals. The past decade became the decade of healthcare breaches.
Not Paying Enough Attention
One of the most significant risk factors is not paying enough attention to data security. The healthcare industry has been slow to adopt the latest security measures and often struggles to keep up with the constantly evolving threat landscape. This can leave healthcare organizations vulnerable to cyber attacks that can result in data breaches, which can be costly in terms of both financial losses and damage to reputation.
Email Scams
These are some of the most common methods that lead to compromising data in healthcare. Here, healthcare workers receive emails from someone posing as an authorized user. However, the email contains malware, and when a healthcare worker tries to open up the file, the malware will be installed in their system to copy all the necessary data from their system.
In addition to this, a healthcare worker is always working in a busy environment. As a result, without thinking twice, they open up the email and download the malicious file.
Malware Sent From Internal Employees, Contractors And Vendors
The healthcare industry requires more men at work than any other industry. Thus, the higher the number of individuals in an organization, the higher the risk of employees or contractors compromising data in many ways. Some of the most common ones are sharing private data with third parties without consent, falling victim to data breach schemes created by hackers, and stealing healthcare information for personal use or selling it to a competitor.
Unsecured Wireless Network
Many healthcare institutes are now moving towards wireless networks to give staff members easy access to patient details no matter where they are in the building. This leads to the convenience of attaining patient data in mere seconds. But at the same time, it also requires healthcare institutes to properly form wireless network security that shields the data from different types of data breaches.
Lack Of Strong Passwords
A healthcare organization that allows employees to create their own passwords for logging in to the system will surely have to deal with weak passwords. All it takes is one employee to have an easy password that hackers can quickly crack, and the entire healthcare data system could be in trouble.
Not Enough Data Security Training
Data attacks can be initiated from various places, and in most cases, they result from employee carelessness. Thus, it has become evident that each employee in the healthcare industry, no matter if they are a doctor, volunteer, business associate, or nurse. They all need the proper training to identify and combat security issues that threaten data breaches.
We have seen medical institutes that need to implement data security precautions run at a higher risk of leaking sensitive data without acknowledging the issues that come with it.
Conclusion
Access control and data security play a crucial role in the healthcare industry due to patient data’s sensitive and confidential nature. The healthcare sector faces significant cybersecurity threats that can have devastating consequences, compromising patient safety and trust.
However, with access control and data security, healthcare centres can ensure the safety and security of their data, prevent cyber attacks, and reduce the risk of data breaches. Healthcare industry leaders must remain vigilant and continue to educate and train their employees on data security to combat the growing number of cybersecurity threats.
As technology advances, access control, and data security solutions will continue to evolve and improve, providing better security and efficiency for the healthcare industry.
FAQS
What is the role of access control in healthcare?
Access control is a security measure that controls who can access what data and resources within a healthcare organization. It is important to have access control in place to protect patient data from unauthorized access.
What are some of the risks of data breaches in healthcare?
Data breaches in healthcare can have serious consequences, including:
Financial losses: Healthcare organizations can be fined millions of dollars for data breaches.
Damage to reputation: Data breaches can damage the reputation of a healthcare organization and erode patient trust.
Misuse of patient data: Data breaches can expose patient data, which could lead to identity theft or other harm.
How can access control and data security help to protect patient data?
Access control and data security can help to protect patient data by:
- Controlling who can access patient data: Access control can be used to restrict access to patient data to only those who need it to do their jobs.
- Encrypting patient data: Encryption can be used to protect patient data from unauthorized access, even if it is intercepted.
- Monitoring access to patient data: Access control systems can be used to monitor who is accessing patient data and when.
What are some tips for healthcare organizations on how to implement access control and data security measures?
Healthcare organizations can take some steps to implement access control and data security measures, including:
- Conducting a risk assessment: Healthcare organizations should conduct a risk assessment to identify the threats to their patient data.
- Developing a data security policy: Healthcare organizations should develop a data security policy that outlines how patient data will be protected.
- Training employees on data security: Healthcare organizations should train their employees on data security so that they understand the risks and how to protect patient data.
What are some of the latest trends in access control and data security for healthcare?
Some of the latest trends in access control and data security for healthcare include:
- Zero trust security: Zero trust security is a security model that assumes that no one is trusted and that all access to patient data must be verified.
- Biometric authentication: Biometric authentication, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, is being used to control access to patient data.
- Data encryption: Data encryption is being used to protect patient data at rest and in transit.
