Electronic Health Records can be an incredibly helpful tool. However, they are not without fault. A recent warning highlights that electronic health records (EHRs) are a top target of cybercriminals. They can also lead to inappropriate billing if they are not set up correctly.
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The Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) issued a warning to healthcare entities regarding EHR vulnerabilities and protections.
Protected health information (PHI) continues to hold its value on the dark web and is a constant target of cybercriminals.
With the recent growth of telehealth and healthcare technology, we have seen a large increase in cybercrime and breaches attempting to benefit from security lapses.
How can you protect your patients’ PHI and your practice?
It is essential to utilize best practices when it comes to healthcare privacy and security.
Make sure that you are up to date with all security patches and regularly change your passwords.
Ensure that your staff regularly changes all passwords for all devices that can access patient data. Also make sure that no passwords are visible within the office.
Encryption is the best way to ensure that healthcare data is protected from threats.
We recommend and assist our clients with staff trainings that highlight realistic protection measures, including phishing awareness and ransomware responses.
It is essential that your backups are offsite and secure, in the event your practice is breached. Test your response time to get your practice operating once a cyber attack has occurred.
Further, to avoid compliance fines and penalties, it is essential that your EHR template is set up correctly. Are you auditing your templates and records? Audits can be incredibly helpful and offer invaluable insight.
We have seen firsthand the potential damages of an incorrect template.
If you need help protecting your patient data or auditing your EHR records, we can help. Contact Rickard & Associates today.
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