Healthcare Cybersecurity That Works | Best Practices to Safeguard Data

Why Is Healthcare Cybersecurity Important?

In 2024, nine out of ten healthcare organizations experienced a cyberattack, making them the number one target. In addition to HIPAA violation costs, losses can range from $10,000 to over $25 million.

These attacks also impact patient care, resulting in increased delays, complications, and even mortality rates.

The Impact of Security Breaches on Your Practice

The impact of a healthcare cybersecurity attack can be devastating. In addition to the direct financial ramifications, organizations can also experience the following:

• Downtime and operational disruptions, which can incapacitate a healthcare system and negatively affect patient care
• Associated legal obligations, risks, and potential penalties
• Lost reputation and the trust of patients and their families

The Growing Threat of Data Breaches in Healthcare

The rate of data breaches in healthcare has been increasing annually. As organizations continue to implement new technologies, they lack knowledge of the comprehensive security requirements needed to protect patient data and prevent medical cyber security threats.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report, healthcare and public health sectors experience the most ransomware incidents.

One example is the devastating ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, in which one in three Americans had personal protected or health information compromised. This included addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, billing and payment details, and more.

Why Healthcare Providers Are at Risk of Data Breaches

So, what makes healthcare a prime target? Vulnerable systems, valuable patient data, and the critical nature of operations all contribute to growing healthcare cybersecurity threats.

Beyond HIPAA: Why Compliance Isn’t Enough By Itself

HIPAA was initially written in the 90s, before AI and other risks erupted onto the evolving technology landscape. It focuses on compliance rather than active risk management.

It’s also important to consider a healthcare organization’s network of vendors. These networks are vast and growing, making it imperative to work with third-party vendors who look beyond compliance and stay updated on healthcare cybersecurity trends.

Stay One Step Ahead: How to Avoid Cybersecurity Breaches

We’ve all heard the expression, “You are only as strong as your weakest link.” This statement couldn’t be more accurate concerning cyberattacks. One person is all it takes for an attack to occur.

Because of this, it’s critical to educate and train all employees. Be overprepared and over-protected, and remember that protecting data is all about maintaining trust.

The good news is that you can effectively improve your medical cyber security posture and minimize the risks of a cyberattack.

Step 1: Conduct a Risk Assessment

A risk assessment begins with understanding your compliance obligations, including laws and industry requirements. Then, identify the different types of risks and develop controls and policies that meet these requirements.

Following existing risk assessment frameworks, such as those published by NIST, will help build controls to address gaps in operations, technologies, and vendors. Also, determine the impact of downtime. What would you lose by being offline for a few days?

Step 2: Limit the Sources of Exposure

Think about sources of exposure, such as physical and digital files. To minimize the risk of exploited records, securely delete or shred all old files that are no longer relevant or needed for compliance.

Store what is necessary in a single, secure location. Additionally, ensure safe and secure data sharing. If you must share information with vendors, confirm that the required controls are in place.

Step 3: Maximize Digital Security

Maximize your digital security in the following ways:

• Replace outdated systems. Hackers often exploit weak and unprotected systems.
• Use software applications that are HIPAA compliant.
• Use unique, complex passwords and change them often.
• Implement two-factor authentication.
• Be wary of suspicious emails and check them carefully before opening attachments or clicking on links.
• If you receive a fishing email, others in your organization will likely have as well. Contact your IT admin immediately.

Step 4: Choose New Vendors Carefully

Ensure third-party businesses and contractors meet your security training certification and insurance requirements. This is especially important for vendors who interact with your patients.

We strongly recommend looking for vendors who have achieved independent data security certifications, such as HITRUST. This certification represents the highest information protection standard and goes beyond HIPAA to validate that data remains private and protected.

Other certifications include:

• Security Operations Control (SOC 2)
• Payment Card Industry Security Standard (PCI DSS)

Step 5: Master the Security Basics

The security basics include:

• Employee Training & Awareness: Ensure your employees know the best data-protection practices. Instruct them on HIPAA privacy policies and train them to send protected health information over secure methods.
• Perform Regular System Updates & Patch Management: Make sure all devices are up to date.
• Cyber Insurance Liability: Determine options, as you may not be able to cover all aspects of healthcare cybersecurity threats. Look into insurance known as risk transfer.
• Network & Endpoint Protection: Apply the latest patches to your network devices and protect workstations against malicious code.
• Data Backups & Incident Response Plan: A comprehensive plan for data breaches and healthcare cybersecurity incidents is crucial. Critical data should be backed up regularly, and backup systems should be secure and tested.

What to Do When

Four procedures are at the heart of every effective medical cyber security plan.

1. Identify Critical Assets and Map Dependencies: Determine the systems critical for ongoing operations.
2. Assess Risks: Consider the full range of threats that could disrupt these systems.
3. Plan and Exercise: Develop incident response and recovery plans and conduct regular exercises under realistic conditions.
4. Adapt and Improve: Periodically evaluate and update response and recovery plans.

How to Respond Quickly and Effectively to a Cyber Attack

Common indicators that a cyber incident or data breach may have occurred include receiving unexpected password reset notifications, the inability to access files, or seeing icons change on your desktop. You may also experience unusual system slowness or the inability to access local systems.

Not all healthcare cybersecurity incidents result in data breaches. The key to protecting your data is responding quickly using the following procedures.

Contain

Shut down affected machines and systems to contain the incident. Isolate compromised devices by keeping them off the network and physically quarantining them. Temporarily change administrative privileges or passwords to limit access.

Assess

Assess the impact, including which devices and parties are affected and what data or assets have been compromised. Determine the risks you and your patients face.

Notify

Notification may be the most essential step. Notify everyone affected and the appropriate authorities. In the healthcare industry, you must follow HIPAA notification rules.

FTC advises telling people your specific actions and providing recommendations to protect themselves. This may include placing fraud alerts, freezing credit cards, and changing passwords.

Correct

Correct the situation with remediation action. Fix the immediate problems and resecure your organization by removing unauthorized users. Regain control of your systems, ensuring sensitive information is secured. Implement measures that prevent another attack.

Contact Legal Representation

Immediately contact your legal representative.

At notifyMD®, we are the first HITRUST-certified patient access solution provider. To learn more about our 24/7/365 professional healthcare and secure services, please visit us at notifymd.com or call 844-8-NOTIFY.