Potential Game Changer for Healthcare, Research Paper Example

Introduction

In recent years, the healthcare field has transformed its ability to manage data in different ways, thereby increasing a need to improve its security measures and create an environment where change is essential to maintain compliance and trust among its users. This process continues to evolve because of its level of complexity and the overall development of a framework that is designed to facilitate growth and opportunity among employees and the end user. It is important to address some of these tools and resources in order to evaluate the conditions under which an organization is able to manage its data effectively and to recognize the emerging needs of the industry as a whole. This process requires the continued growth and development of a framework to determine how to protect sensitive and/or confidential health information. This process is important because it reflects an organization’s commitment to protecting information within their means. The following discussion will address data security within the healthcare industry in greater detail and emphasize the importance of moving forward towards improving this process with new tools and technologies in place.

Body

Data security within the healthcare industry reflects a high degree of complexity that requires ongoing investigation and evaluation in order to achieve the necessary outcomes. There must be a greater focus on the prevention of data breaches and cybercrimes, which have become increasingly relevant in recent years throughout many areas of society. In response to this problem, “the vast cadre of talent in the government and within healthcare organizations should take a new approach to solving the cybersecurity problem: curtail the current “audits and penalties” approach and work together to fix the root of the problem by building an infrastructure that can truly protect this sensitive data” (Probst, 2015). In response to this need, it is important to identify areas where tightening up data requirements is essential and critical to protect the integrity of healthcare data (Probst, 2015). Data security has become an increasingly prominent issue for many reasons and reflects the importance of developing a framework that will accommodate change within this area to prevent data breaches as best as possible (Probst, 2015).

The process of protecting data within the healthcare industry has become increasingly complex in recent years and reflects the importance of new directions and strategies to address hacking incidents and breaches at a higher level. This process requires a high level of discovery and an understanding of the dynamics of healthcare practice and data storage that may contribute to breaches and other interferences that compromise data in different ways. This perspective requires an understanding of how to best approach data security in such a way that it will have a positive and lasting impact on an organization and will aim to protect data from unnecessary risk or theft as best as possible. This process is ongoing and must demonstrate a set of strategies that are both innovative and appropriate for a given organization that may also be applicable to other organizations in different ways.

Some of the general measures that have been taken to protect the healthcare industry reflect the importance of communication in order to identify common goals and objectives and to meet the requirements related to data protection. Therefore, organizations such as the Department of Health and Human Services have provided educational tools and resources for its executive leadership in order to promote and implement policies as necessary to address these conditions (Probst, 2015). In addition, organizations such as Intermountain Healthcare have made a pledge to promote specific tools and resources to accommodate data security and to aim to be ahead of potential threats as much as possible (Probst, 2015). Although these measures are highly effective on a general scale, the general data environment remains difficult to manage because the knowledge and resources of potential hackers remain too significant to ignore and could dampen any progress that has been made within the industry (Probst, 2015). Therefore, continuous improvement is required in order to address these conditions and to be respectful of an organization’s ability to be proactive in working towards viable and realistic solutions to common problems within this area.

Recent controversies surrounding Anthem and its massive data breach have increased the intensity and need for improvements in data security throughout the healthcare industry (Commins, 2015). In this context, data encryption is only one part of a recommended solution, as this cannot on its own serve as the safety net that organizations need to protect their data from unnecessary risk or harm (Commins, 2015). It is known that “financial institutions are really good at data classification and segregation. Classification means they determine which data is the most sensitive and valuable. The more critical the data is the more security they wrap around it. Segregation means that even if you gain access to part of the data there are additional hoops you have to jump through to get to the rest of the data” (Commins, 2015). Therefore, these tools may be implemented in healthcare organizations as a means of promoting new and modified improvements in healthcare practice and to be responsive to the fears of patients who might have experienced these data breaches (Commins, 2015). However, an integrated set of measures must be taken that will be used to support change and to reflect the needs of the client base in an effective manner to appease their fears and to recognize the sheer importance of data security throughout the healthcare industry as a whole (Commins, 2015).

There are approximately 200 healthcare data breaches annually in the United States, which carry HIPAA violations of $50,000 annually for isolated violations, or up to $1,500,000 annually for identical violations (HIT Consultant, 2015). This reflects a greater need to understand how to improve upon existing frameworks and to recognize how data security has evolved in recent decades, as well as what is required going forward to improve this process (HIT Consultant, 2015). For example, the use of CASBs to provide proxy efforts to cooperate with cloud devices and mobile applications are essential to promote a protective environment with respect to regulatory compliance and auditing needs (HIT Consultant, 2015). This process functions as a means of promoting data security and notifying IT experts when there is a potential breach related to the data that is stored (HIT Consultant, 2015). In addition, the use of digital watermarks to protect information that is deemed sensitive is critical to identify if it has been accessed by an unauthorized party (HIT Consultant, 2015).

The adoption of a Single Sign On (SSO) has become increasingly popular in recent years and represents a means of overcoming laziness in creating passwords, thereby requiring employees to use a single user name and password for all company-related applications to prevent unauthorized parties from lifting password information (HIT Consultant, 2015). It is also important to consider tools that will have an impact on an organization from a mobile perspective, as smartphones and tablets must also be secured as best as possible; therefore, this is addressed by using tools to block the download of information that is deemed sensitive to mobile devices and to enact measures that will categorically recognize what is known as Public Health information (PHI) (HIT Consultant, 2015). Finally, the use of mobile devices and cloud storage services and applications must be used effectively by adopting the appropriate security measures that will have a lasting impact on the protection of data that is transmitted and/or stored in these locations (HIT Consultant, 2015). It is believed that the adoption of protective measures to manage these tools will also be cost effective and minimize the burden that is placed on the organization’s administrative teams (HIT Consultant, 2015). These tools provide an important reminder of the need to evaluate conditions on a regular basis and to determine how to best approach a given situation with the safest and most secure measures possible to protect data from being accessed by unauthorized parties. However, their degree of success over long periods of time continues to unfold, particularly as there are significant measures related to an increased risk of data breaches due to limited system capabilities, carelessness on the part of organizations, and general expanded knowledge and creativity of hacker and others who breach data security in different ways. Therefore, these tools must continue to evolve and to create new opportunities for growth and data protection within an organization that will have a true and lasting impact on data security and overall operations.

Conclusion

Data security within the healthcare industry requires a high level of innovation and creativity in order to remain a step ahead of potential data breaches and hacks by third parties. Healthcare data is highly sensitive and must be addressed in a unique manner, while also considering other tools that will positively impact an organization and its bottom line in a positive manner. There must be protocols in place to prevent breaches and if they occur, to manage them effectively in order to prevent further risks. These tools must demonstrate a high degree of innovation and a greater focus on a combined strategy that will be used to improve outcomes and to create an environment where change is essential to protect healthcare data in an efficient and highly productive manner. This is an important and necessary step towards the discovery of new techniques and strategies to accommodate effective healthcare practices and to determine how to best approach these conditions with the best possible measures that are currently available.

References

Commins, J. (2015). Anthem data breach: potential game changer for healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/PublicHealth/49914

HIT Consultant (2015). 5 essentials to reduce healthcare data breaches. Retrieved from http://hitconsultant.net/2014/11/07/5-essentials-to-redcue-healthcare-data-breaches/

Probst, M. (2015). A new approach to protecting healthcare data security. Retrieved from http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/article/new-approach-protecting-healthcare-data-security