Why Healthcare Providers Must Prioritize Cybersecurity in the Digital Age
Healthcare providers work with sensitive information that has strong repercussions for patients should it be compromised. This is why cybersecurity is a healthcare necessity.
Healthcare organizations have many information systems like EHRs, e-prescribing systems, and medical Internet of Things devices that are linked together.
Patient Safety
The healthcare industry has a unique cybersecurity challenge. While cyber-attacks and data breaches are commonplace in other industries, medical information is life-saving and not confidential. This makes it a more valuable target for hackers.
A security breach in the healthcare industry can have devastating consequences. It can lead to compromised patient records, resulting in identity theft, financial fraud, and medical misdiagnosis. Additionally, it can lead to disruptions in clinical care or even cause a patient to die due to a delayed diagnosis or treatment.
To avoid these devastating consequences, healthcare providers must prioritize cybersecurity by making it a part of their existing enterprise risk management, governance, and business continuity frameworks. In addition, they should ensure that their data is protected by encryption and access controls. Furthermore, they should implement systems that monitor file activity and keep track of unauthorized attempts to access or transfer data.
The main goal of cybersecurity in healthcare should be to protect patients from harm and provide them with high-quality care. This can be done by implementing cybersecurity measures such as data encryption, access control, and regular data backups. In addition, hospitals should make sure their employees are trained to recognize and report any suspicious activity. This will help them defend against phishing emails and other types of malware.
Increased Revenue
Cyberattacks are costing the world billions of dollars. If they aren’t stopped soon, the damage could be catastrophic. In addition to the financial and reputational costs, cyber attacks can disrupt business operations and cause delays that lead to a loss of revenue.
Healthcare is a unique industry with particular cybersecurity concerns and difficulties. Medical practices and hospitals have to protect extremely sensitive financial and medical data. They also deal with sophisticated and expensive equipment, such as intelligent heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems, MRI and CT scanners, and infusion pumps connecting to the clinical network. In addition, many healthcare organizations use tens of thousands of vendors that can expose their information technology resources to cyber attackers through stolen vendor credentials or compromised accounts.
A single cyber attack can wreak havoc on a company’s finances, reputation, and legal standing and put it at risk of closure. For these reasons, companies must prioritize cybersecurity.
In addition to protecting sensitive customer and business information, enterprises must comply with regulatory requirements dictating cybersecurity measures. Failure to do so can result in fines and other sanctions that devastate a company’s bottom line. By implementing a robust cybersecurity program, companies can reduce the risk of a cyber attack and ensure long-term success.
Increased Brand Reputation
Healthcare companies that rely heavily on technology must prioritize cybersecurity measures to protect the integrity of medical devices and patient information. Non-compliance can result in fines, damage to the company’s reputation, and even loss of business. Investing in cybersecurity measures also ensures that the company complies with regulatory requirements.
Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, and hackers are finding ways to bypass basic security systems. As a result, it is no longer safe for businesses to rely solely on outdated cybersecurity tools like antivirus software and firewalls.
The COVID-19 pandemic had huge implications for the security of many enterprise organizations and brought about a massive increase in data breaches. This is a clear indicator that security threats must be taken seriously, and keeping up with the latest cybersecurity trends and solutions is important.
A recent survey of industrial manufacturing companies revealed that cybersecurity was rated as the most important digital technology for their companies’ future, ahead of big data analytics, enterprise cloud, and artificial intelligence (AI). The results indicate that businesses are aware of the need to invest in cybersecurity and are prioritizing it.
Increased Customer Satisfaction
Cybersecurity practices keep small clinics, large healthcare orgs, and federal agencies up and running and able to do their jobs effectively. Without these systems, patients wouldn’t be able to get the care they need.
A secure IT infrastructure protects medical devices, at-home patient monitoring technologies, and the electronic health records (ePHI) that doctors and nurses use. It also ensures that data is available when needed, so doctors can prescribe medications and monitor patient progress. Ensuring a strong cybersecurity ecosystem can mean the difference between life and death.
The healthcare industry is a top target for cybercriminals due to the high value and sensitive nature of the data it collects, stores, processes, and exchanges. A cyber attack on a healthcare organization can result in data breaches, financial losses, regulatory fines, patient identity theft, and other repercussions.
One of the key reasons why healthcare businesses must prioritize cybersecurity is that strong security policies can help to improve customer satisfaction. For example, better training on spotting phishing scams can help employees avoid clicking on malicious links or violating HIPAA regulations.
In addition, better cyber security practices can help to improve overall business performance. A recent industrial manufacturing survey found that more than half of the respondents asked to pick a digital technology they believe will make the biggest impact on their business in the next few years picked cybersecurity.
