Delivering effective and personalized care to healthcare patients relies on a robust, trusting, and collaborative patient-provider relationship. Yet, the recent rise of cyberattacks targeting all corners of the healthcare industry has adversely affected patient data security, provider care operations, and, ultimately, individual health outcomes.

While the recent announcement from the White House, Microsoft, and Google regarding their joint initiative to enhance security in rural healthcare organizations is certainly uplifting, cybersecurity should be a priority for all practices. As we've seen from multiple incidents and outages just this year, the current cybersecurity framework of the American healthcare system is a systemic vulnerability, and these attacks can happen to anyone.

Recent breaches have disrupted operations and, in many cases, forced a return to manual and paper-based processes. In other cases, they've negatively compounded already tedious tasks such as payment reconciliation, managing claims, and examining comprehensive patient data. As a result, staff morale, operational efficiency, and productivity are impacted, and it is essential for healthcare providers to implement technical measures to safeguard their patients, staff, and practice from potential cyber threats.

This article will delve into the common causes of cyberattacks, offering practical and effective strategies for staff to prevent and mitigate these threats. Additionally, it will outline proactive measures to ensure system integrity, secure patient data, and improve existing processes, ultimately fostering a resilient and successful practice.

How Do Cyber Breaches Happen?

The administrative arm of the healthcare industry remains under significant stress, intensifying the need for robust security measures. According to CDW's recent Cybersecurity Report, only 14 percent of healthcare organizations report having fully staffed IT security teams, while around 30 percent of IT professionals indicate their organizations are significantly understaffed. This underscores the urgent cybersecurity needs within the healthcare sector.

The majority of cyberattacks, even those targeting major organizations, stem from systemic lapses in compliance and cybersecurity protocols. Additionally, research from the American Hospital Association, FBI, and IBM found that stolen credentials are among the most common methods hackers use to gain access and are often obtained with minimal effort. Nefarious hackers frequently employ email phishing techniques targeting login and financial information through means such as sending fake invoices or impersonating close contacts. Providers should ensure that all staff are aware of and properly trained in identifying and avoiding phishing threats and that their administrative software requires strong, unguessable passwords.

While it is impossible to eliminate all threats, providers can take proactive measures to protect staff, patients, and data from external risks. Below are essential cybersecurity and compliance protocols that providers can implement to effectively safeguard their community and stakeholders.

Personalized, Actionable, and Data-Driven Compliance Tips

When evaluating and enhancing cybersecurity compliance and frameworks, providers and any external support they engage should approach this process with thoroughness and introspection. By utilizing up-to-date software to manage operations, providers can assess their current cyber readiness with personalized, data-driven insights. Most importantly, this high-quality, relevant data will offer staff actionable recommendations to protect their practice from cyberattacks.

Here are five best practices for achieving compliance:

•  Follow governmental and industry standard regulations. Following HIPAA and OSHA guidelines is required, and compliance can often feel stressful and tedious in the wake of managing burdensome administrative tasks and patient needs. Additionally, further guidelines such as HITRUST certification and PCI (payment card industry) are becoming necessities for providers managing their practices through increasingly digitalized mediums. While at first glance, these extra guidelines may seem even more burdensome and even costly, compliance solutions can help alleviate these feelings and quickly bring them into practice.

•  Implement thorough staff training on compliance, protocols, and communication. Staff should receive comprehensive training on compliance and protocols, emphasizing the principle of least privilege (PoLP). PoLP, a key IT security concept, ensures that staff can only access the information and resources necessary for their specific roles, minimizing the risk of exposing sensitive patient or financial data. Additionally, staff training should cover phishing and social engineering and highlight the importance of communication. This enables employees to adhere strictly to protocols and inform patients about steps they can take to protect their personal information.

•  Use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in remote work settings. As hybrid work and remote position offerings become the norm, provider organizations should acquire and require staff to use a VPN when working from home or in public places. Public Wi-Fi in places such as a coffee shop is usually unsecured, and employees working on these networks can expose their organization to session hijacking, eavesdropping, malware, and credential thefts.

•  Require login protections. As previously discussed with email phishing, if employees properly fortify their logins, the practice has already taken a significant step in reducing cyberattack risk. Additionally, best-in-class compliance solutions offer proven methods for further fortification, including double encryption, multi-factor authentication, mandatory and time-based password resets, and complex password requirements.

•  Ensure operations-ready backup systems and/or protocols are in place. While cyberattacks frequently cause system and server outages, they can arise from various factors. In today's environment, practices must have clearly trained and understood protocols in place for any system downtimes. Defined roles and communication channels should be established and comprehended in advance to help staff effectively navigate highly stressful and chaotic situations.

Industry-Wide Vulnerabilities Go Beyond Isolated Cyberattacks and Stolen Data

While regularly conducting internal audits and assessments can feel tedious, stressful, and even costly, the benefits far outweigh the effects and amplified feelings brought on by cyber breaches and system outages. Implementing and integrating modern compliance solutions and providing clear employee training on cybersecurity compliance and protocols enable providers to shield their employees, patients, and sensitive information from nefarious external actors.

Ultimately, the surge in cyberattacks has emphasized the healthcare sector's need to modernize, streamline, and prioritize administrative systems while also implementing revenue diversification strategies. With compliance protocols already in place, organizations that aren't over-reliant on one source of cash, such as insurer reimbursement, are best positioned to both navigate and recover from cyberattacks and build a thriving practice for the future.

Carrie Gluck, Chief Information and Security Officer at Rectangle Health, is an industry expert on various Information Security regulatory requirements, industry standards, and best practices. With more than 20 years of experience in Information Technology and Information Security, Carrie offers significant expertise in planning, developing, documenting, maintaining, and optimizing security and risk management processes. She also shares her diverse experience in a wide array of security technologies for authentication, encryption, monitoring, and management of systems. Carrie's extensive education in Information Security includes a Master of Science in Information Security and Assurance from Norwich University, as well as ten industry-leading IS, risk, and IT audit certifications.

Rectangle Health Practice Management Bridge | Get a Demo