Released for its third year, the Experian Data Breach Resolution Report for 2016 predicts that the healthcare sector will continue to be a focal point for cyber attacks in 2017. Why is the healthcare industry continuously targeted? The simple answer is that medical records have a very high value on the black market. In fact, medical records are worth up to 10 times more than credit card numbers! Yes, we found that hard to believe as well!
While the big healthcare hacks will continue to make headlines, it’s the smaller breaches that actually cause the most damage. No matter how large your company, you need to look at the risk that hacking poses to your business and to your patients. The Identity Theft Resource Center reports that 91% of all healthcare organizations reported at least one data breach over the last two years. With these kinds of odds, you need to take action!
So, here are three things you need to put at the top of your 2017 To Do List:
(1) Complete a HIPAA Risk Assessment. This will give you a good idea of your areas of vulnerability.
(2) Update your security technology to ensure your PHI is safe. After the Risk Assessment, you will know what areas need to be shored up.
(3) Train your staff on PHI data handling practices. Initial and on-going training is part of the HIPAA law. Be sure your staff is up-to-date on their HIPAA training.
Be ready for 2017 – The Year of the Healthcare Hack!
