Amanda Winstead02.15.23
There are few things more personal or more powerful than a person’s private medical information, as your health data can be used against you to perpetrate various forms of identity theft, such as insurance fraud.
When health information falls into the wrong hands, it may be used to deny a person insurance coverage. It may render them ineligible for certain jobs. Perhaps worst of all, it may lead to the stigmatizing and marginalization of that individual. But the exploitation of personal medical information doesn’t have to result in criminal activity being harmful.
And yet, far too often, the ways that medical data are gathered, stored, shared, and used are less than secure. Let’s examine the issue of patient data protection and the critical role that medical technologies play in safeguarding those sensitive materials.
That means no more waiting for hours, days, or even weeks to receive hard copy records. The time saved through the transmission of digital patient files may well save a patient’s life or, at the very least, prevent severe long-term complications.
And the digitalization of patient records doesn’t just optimize communication between healthcare providers. It can also dramatically enhance a patient’s access to and engagement with their healthcare team. As telehealth services become more ubiquitous, it is increasingly common for patients and healthcare providers to communicate via email, text, or video conference.
The problem, of course, is that not all of these digital channels meet the rigorous security and privacy standards defined by HIPAA statutes for transmitting electronic records. This leaves these communications vulnerable not only to being breached by hackers but also to being viewed by anyone with access to the device or the network.
This is why tech developers need to build security measures that cannot be circumvented by users. This might include, for instance, the automatic encryption of text messages and emails sent from or to a clinician’s desktop or mobile device.
Similarly, safeguards should be instituted to ensure that messages can only be sent or received through a secured portal to which only persons with the appropriate permissions have access. Ideally, this would include firewall protection or the use of a VPN.
Rigorous control over who has access to secure cloud-based patient data storage is one of the best strategies for safeguarding against insider threats. Insider threats refer to the potential for sensitive data to be stolen, exploited, or otherwise misused by persons within an organization.
Regarding the use of cloud systems and other forms of digital storage for patient health data, insider threats pose a particular risk when governance is lax. This often involves the granting of access permissions to employees who do not have a clear, specific, and immediate need for the patient’s records.
For example, healthcare systems may provide password information to all employees, rather than limiting cloud storage access only to staff with a verified need-to-know. Integrating system restrictions, such as limiting the number of simultaneous users, can discourage such unsafe practices.
These devices are increasingly manufactured to support interoperability, ensuring that devices are compatible with and accessible through a host of networks and systems. The goal is to optimize workflow within the healthcare system by ensuring that technologies, including remote systems, can securely work and communicate with one another.
The challenge, however, is that by maximizing interoperability, one may also be inadvertently maximizing risk. High-level security features on one device or network may compromise the capacity to connect with other devices or systems. At the same time, scaling back on security to aid connectivity puts the system, and patient data, at risk.
Likewise, without stringent cybersecurity safeguards in place, vulnerabilities in one element of the network can put all connected devices in jeopardy. This can exponentially increase the amount of patient data that could potentially be compromised by a single security gap in the entire system.
For this reason, the benefits of interoperability must also be weighed against the extreme risk of data security breaches. And that means that the top priority and first order of business in the development of medical technologies designed for optimal compatibility must be security.
Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Along with writing she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi you can find her on Twitter.
When health information falls into the wrong hands, it may be used to deny a person insurance coverage. It may render them ineligible for certain jobs. Perhaps worst of all, it may lead to the stigmatizing and marginalization of that individual. But the exploitation of personal medical information doesn’t have to result in criminal activity being harmful.
And yet, far too often, the ways that medical data are gathered, stored, shared, and used are less than secure. Let’s examine the issue of patient data protection and the critical role that medical technologies play in safeguarding those sensitive materials.
Data Storage and Dissemination
One of the greatest benefits of the myriad advances made in medical technologies today is the ability for clinicians and stakeholders to securely store and transmit patient records online. This can ensure that healthcare providers have nearly instantaneous access to the patient’s full medical history whenever and wherever it is needed.That means no more waiting for hours, days, or even weeks to receive hard copy records. The time saved through the transmission of digital patient files may well save a patient’s life or, at the very least, prevent severe long-term complications.
And the digitalization of patient records doesn’t just optimize communication between healthcare providers. It can also dramatically enhance a patient’s access to and engagement with their healthcare team. As telehealth services become more ubiquitous, it is increasingly common for patients and healthcare providers to communicate via email, text, or video conference.
The problem, of course, is that not all of these digital channels meet the rigorous security and privacy standards defined by HIPAA statutes for transmitting electronic records. This leaves these communications vulnerable not only to being breached by hackers but also to being viewed by anyone with access to the device or the network.
This is why tech developers need to build security measures that cannot be circumvented by users. This might include, for instance, the automatic encryption of text messages and emails sent from or to a clinician’s desktop or mobile device.
Similarly, safeguards should be instituted to ensure that messages can only be sent or received through a secured portal to which only persons with the appropriate permissions have access. Ideally, this would include firewall protection or the use of a VPN.
Secure Storage
In addition to ensuring secure communications among healthcare providers and between patients and their healthcare teams, rigorous governance in data storage is also essential. Storing patient data in a secure cloud system enables vital records to be accessed anytime and anywhere by those with the appropriate permissions.Rigorous control over who has access to secure cloud-based patient data storage is one of the best strategies for safeguarding against insider threats. Insider threats refer to the potential for sensitive data to be stolen, exploited, or otherwise misused by persons within an organization.
Regarding the use of cloud systems and other forms of digital storage for patient health data, insider threats pose a particular risk when governance is lax. This often involves the granting of access permissions to employees who do not have a clear, specific, and immediate need for the patient’s records.
For example, healthcare systems may provide password information to all employees, rather than limiting cloud storage access only to staff with a verified need-to-know. Integrating system restrictions, such as limiting the number of simultaneous users, can discourage such unsafe practices.
Safeguarding Data on Remote Medical Devices
Wearable medical technologies have been widely available on the consumer market for several years. However, their use has also surged among clinicians. Patient monitors and other remote medical text available through prescription offer hospital-grade functionality from the comfort and convenience of the patient’s home.These devices are increasingly manufactured to support interoperability, ensuring that devices are compatible with and accessible through a host of networks and systems. The goal is to optimize workflow within the healthcare system by ensuring that technologies, including remote systems, can securely work and communicate with one another.
The challenge, however, is that by maximizing interoperability, one may also be inadvertently maximizing risk. High-level security features on one device or network may compromise the capacity to connect with other devices or systems. At the same time, scaling back on security to aid connectivity puts the system, and patient data, at risk.
Likewise, without stringent cybersecurity safeguards in place, vulnerabilities in one element of the network can put all connected devices in jeopardy. This can exponentially increase the amount of patient data that could potentially be compromised by a single security gap in the entire system.
For this reason, the benefits of interoperability must also be weighed against the extreme risk of data security breaches. And that means that the top priority and first order of business in the development of medical technologies designed for optimal compatibility must be security.
The Takeaway
Safeguarding patient data is a profound responsibility, one that medical technology developers must take seriously. Because the potential harms of a patient data breach are so significant, technology developers owe consumers and clinicians alike their utmost efforts in preventing them.Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Along with writing she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi you can find her on Twitter.