Healthcare data breaches are nothing new, but their scale and frequency are increasing:
- CVS Health In March 2021, when a third party accidentally accessed the online database publicly, more than one billion search records were lost.
- Ransomware data breach of prescription management vendor Capture receiver In February 2021, more than 1 million patients from 17 healthcare providers were affected.
- More than 3.47 million individuals and at least 10 healthcare organizations have been affected by large-scale data breaches by file transfer companies accelerate, Spanning multiple global industries in December 2020.
Further explain the risks faced by healthcare organizations, Scripps Health In San Diego, there were two class-action lawsuits claiming that the organization should take more steps to protect patient data. If supported, it will set a precedent for healthcare organizations to assume legal responsibility for failing to protect data—up to $1,000 per patient. However, the direct monetary cost of fines and litigation may eventually become a secondary issue, as reputation damage is usually a more difficult setback to overcome. Patients increasingly see healthcare as “consumers,” and violations or mismanagement violations may prompt them to seek medical services elsewhere.
“Events happen every day. However, the real threat lies in the organization’s response speed and efficiency. This is what customers will remember. You need to be able to update your website in time, expand the capacity of your call center, and be prepared when consumers need it. Good answer.”
The frequency and scale of health information leaks are increasing, which means that it is no longer enough to just say “we are careful about our health data-this will not happen to us”. Medical identities are extremely valuable, which makes them an attractive target for cybercriminals. In addition, the sudden increase in virtual care and remote work during the pandemic has created new vulnerabilities in data security.
A kind The most recent FBI alert A major ransomware organization is targeting the healthcare sector through phishing attacks, which reminds people that healthcare organizations cannot relax in terms of cyber security. This is a “when, not if” medical institution must deal with violations. Prevention is the goal, but preparation is a wise strategy.
Moving from data breach prevention to preparation
During the pandemic, the amount of data shared within and among healthcare organizations has skyrocketed as providers provide more virtual care services and the workforce has become more dispersed. While these innovations mean that it is safe to continue access to healthcare and work, the shift to cloud-based data sharing and storage means that data boundaries are broader and more difficult to protect—if there are still boundaries. Data must now be protected at the device and employee level.
Although prevention is better than cure, the serious reality facing medical network security teams is that they are increasingly likely to have to deal with violations. Unfortunately, many organizations do not have the technology, resources, or time to prevent data leakage at every access point at all times.
Chris Wild, Vice President of Experian Health said:
“We are seeing an increasing frequency of cyber threats across the industry. Almost a week has passed and we have not heard of a certain health system being attacked by hackers or ransomware. Statistics show that we have health data breaches almost every day, so it It is only a matter of time before any one provider, pharmacy, payer or doctor group is affected.”
Healthcare organizations no longer focus solely on prevention Need a strategy to prepare What happens when there is a violation. If they fail to do so, they will risk a prolonged public struggle to curb violations, leading to financial consequences such as brand damage, loss of patients, fines and loss of income.
Develop a data breach response plan
Recovering from a data breach requires a quick and thorough response. With a proper plan, you can take immediate action once you receive a terrible call.Know exactly what needs to be done to satisfy HIPAA notification requirements, Helps to reassure consumers and regulators that they are doing everything they can to curb violations. This not only helps to minimize fines, but also mitigates reputational damage caused by security breaches.
Data breaches are bad enough, but they fail to provide adequate support for worried consumers, thereby exacerbating the negative impact of exposing data. Wild said: “Incidents happen every day. However, the real threat lies in the organization’s response speed and efficiency. This is what customers will remember. You need to be able to update your website in a timely manner, expand the capacity of the call center, and improve the consumer Prepare answers when needed.”
A kind Robust response plan It requires the participation of top management, clear success indicators and regular stress tests. Most importantly, it must be flexible to adapt to any size and type of violations that occur.
Best support for the worst
A data breach response plan by itself will not prevent a data breach, but it can help healthcare organizations take the right steps after the fact. Serving thousands of data breaches in the past 17 years, Experian Health’s Reserved Response™ program It is based on real-world experience and evolves as threats and consequences increase. In a recent survey, customers who used reserved responses reported 15% fewer data security incidents than customers who did not use them. In addition, the scale of any event that does occur tends to be small.
As the risk and impact of data breaches are on the rise, this year Experian Health launched a new Reserved response center. This digital self-service tool helps prepare and test data breach plans, including:
- New and improved 2021 data breach response guidelines
- Downloadable preparation reading materials
- Proven notification template
- List of pre-default events
- Access Experian’s full reservation response service, which provides support before or after violations to ensure compliance and provide support to those affected.
Find out more.
Reserved Response can help medical institutions develop a data breach preparation plan in just three days.
