Posted by Julie Ann Sillar
Data breaches in healthcare are some of today’s most prevalent and dangerous issues. With the number of cyber attacks on healthcare providers, this alarming trend has caused organizations to strengthen their defenses and protect patient information even more thoroughly.
According to a report from the HIPAA journal, 5,887 healthcare data breaches of 500 or more records were reported to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) between 2008 and 2023. These breaches resulted in the unauthorized disclosure of 519,935,970 healthcare records, surpassing the population of the U.S.
Financial loss is one of the most severe consequences of security breaches in healthcare. Even the most minor breaches could stress your finances and put your practice at risk of bankruptcy. A secured EHR like Meditab’s IMS can save you from such consequences. This is why many EHR systems being used by healthcare providers are due for a security reevaluation, which leads us to the question: Is your EHR up to the task?
If you feel unsure, don’t panic. We put together a guide to walk you through the ins and outs of healthcare data security, including everything you need to assess whether your EHR system can still keep up with today’s healthcare security standards.
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Understanding EHR Data Security
An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient’s medical records. EHRs contain demographics, diagnoses, problem lists, medications, vital signs, and laboratory data, which authorized clinicians and healthcare teams can create, gather, manage, and refer to within one healthcare organization.
Although EHRs offer numerous benefits—such as streamlining medical billing processes, relieving administrative tasks, and improving patient coordination—these advantages come with a significant responsibility: protecting sensitive health data from cyber threats.
Ensuring your EHR system effectively protects patient information is vital for maintaining patient trust and complying with strict healthcare regulations.
Key Security Features to Look for in EHR Systems
To determine if your EHR system is fully equipped to protect patient data, it should include the following security features:
- Data Encryption
All sensitive patient information stored within the EHR must be encrypted at rest and in transit. With this, even if unauthorized individuals gain access to the data, it remains unreadable and unusable.
- Access Controls
Implementing strict access control is crucial for healthcare information security. Only authorized personnel should have access to specific data, which should be regularly viewed and updated. Installing multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security.
- Audit Trails
A secure EHR system should maintain comprehensive audit trails that can trace every access and modification of patient data. This feature is essential for identifying potential cyber threats and ensuring accountability.
- Data Backup and Recovery
A reliable backup and recovery plan is essential if your system encounters a cyberattack or system failure. Your EHR system should automatically back up data and offer quick recovery options to minimize downtime and data loss. Consider offsite data backup services to strengthen your data security even more and ensure fast recovery in case of disasters.
- User Training
Some healthcare data breaches are caused by human error, meaning that even the most secure EHR system can be compromised due to its users’ mistakes. This necessitates regular training programs on best practices for data security—such as recognizing phishing emails and securing passwords—for all staff members in your organization.
After learning the essential key security features your EHR system should have, the next important step is knowing how to assess your EHR system’s security. Even if it has all the safeguards mentioned above, regular assessment can ensure that your EHR platform continuously meets security standards.
Assessing Your EHR Security System
Conducting a thorough evaluation of your electronic health record security system can help identify vulnerabilities, ensure compliance with regulations, and safeguard sensitive patient information. Here’s a guide on how to effectively assess your EHR system’s security:
- Risk Analysis. Perform a comprehensive risk analysis to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities in your EHR system. This analysis should include both human factors and technical aspects, such as user behavior and training.
- Third-Party Audits. Engaging an independent cybersecurity expert to do an external audit of your EHR system provides an unbiased evaluation of your system’s security. They can also offer recommendations and effective alternatives for strengthening your EHR data security.
- Compliance Checks. Make sure your EHR system adheres to all relevant healthcare regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Complying with these regulations is not only a legal requirement but also a key factor in ensuring data security.
- Incident Response Plan. Creating a well-defined incident response plan is essential for managing the aftermath of a data breach. Be sure to develop and regularly update your incident response plan. It should outline the actions to be taken after a data breach, such as notifying affected patients, minimizing further damage, and reporting the incident to the relevant regulatory bodies.
Why Choose IMS?
There are many EHRs out there from which healthcare providers can choose. But what makes Meditab’s IMS different from the rest? Here are some of its exceptional features:
- Fully customizable with a user-friendly interface and can tailor-fit more than 40 specialties.
- Comes with a cloud-based feature that eliminates the need for providers to maintain web servers, reducing the risk of cyber threats.
- Built-in UDS-compliant features, making data gathering and performance report submission faster and more straightforward.
- Integrated reporting tools compliant with NCQA’s standardized audit methodology, helping providers improve their HEDIS scores.
- Enhances information exchange and security through its IMS chat feature, allowing healthcare providers to share critical patient information through a secure, HIPAA-compliant messaging platform.
IMS is more than just your typical EHR software. It integrates every aspect of your practice into one comprehensive ecosystem. Having an EHR with integrated practice management, medical billing, ICD-10 codes, patient engagement, telemedicine features, and more will save you time and money while improving your practice efficiency.
IMS: Secured EHR System Your Practice Deserves
Finding out your EHR is not as secure as it should be can be alarming, and we hear you. Realizing you have been risking your patients’ information the whole time is a rough wake-up call. However, catching your system’s vulnerabilities yourself is a million times better than knowing about them when it’s too late.
In this digital age, healthcare data security is no longer just a technological feature; it’s a critical component of high-quality patient care. Make it a point to implement robust security features, conduct regular assessments, and stay ahead of possible data breaches. Your EHR system must go beyond being a patient information management tool—it should be a robust platform that continuously protects patient data, and that’s precisely what IMS is.
When it comes to providing advanced and intuitive technology solutions, Meditab is the EHR company you can trust. We offer an all-in-one multi-specialty EHR solution and mobile EHR app designed with an intuitive interface. Packed with fully integrated tools that complement your healthcare team’s work and talent, IMS streamlines your workflow while securing patient health information with robust security features.
Choose the award-winning software your practice deserves. Future-proof your healthcare operations and upgrade with IMS today!
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