It is no secret that telemedicine has boomed since 2019. Fair Health research indicates a 4,347% growth in telehealth claims year-over-year in 2020. Another study in 2021 projected a seven-and-a-half-fold growth within telemedicine in the United States. Study after study confirms the boom, but what does that mean for hospital and patient security?
Hospital Threats
Hospitals have become a focal point for bad actors worldwide. The HIPAA Journal reported a 239% increase in hacking-related data breaches between January 1, 2018, and September 30, 2023, a drastic change from pre-COVID numbers. In 2019, hacking accounted for 49% of all reported breaches, which increased to 79.7% by 2023. At Eagle Telemedicine, we recognize that adding telemedicine to your hospital provides incredible opportunities that could open systems to increased vulnerabilities. This potential susceptibility to threat actors is why we focus on implementing industry best practices to offer you the most secure telemedicine solution possible.
Implementing Best Practices
Before service begins, management on Eagle’s and the hospital’s sides establish a process to address the scope of how technology and services will be deployed and managed. Through an established process, we partner with the onsite IT team to vet and assess any risks. Once assessed and we begin integrating with the hospital team and technology, we advise providing transparent visibility to stakeholders, visibility into the process and an opportunity to contribute to technology/vendor selection. We educate hospitals where proper authorizations are needed, and go through the appropriate channels to address requests for information, accounting of disclosures or other private data.
At Eagle, we advise hospitals to reference the American Hospital Association’s white paper, Health Industry Cybersecurity – Securing Telehealth and Telemedicine Guide. This guide offers advice on implementing proper security centers, threat intelligence sharing, ongoing testing advice and utilizing intense employee training. We will walk you through every step of our telemedicine implementation and offer training resources to your staff. That said, it would be beneficial to loop in IT teams so they can provide their security crash course as well. It is imperative to educate all parties on the most vulnerable areas so they know how to help prevent security risks. Some common threats include:
- Data Breaches – Data breaches threaten any area or record within the hospital setting. Protect sensitive information by safeguarding telehealth platforms, databases and networks.
- Phishing Attacks – Often appearing as a safe link through email, phishing occurs when cybercriminals use deceptive emails or messages to trick users into revealing confidential information.
- Ransomware – Ransomware attacks can encrypt critical health data and demand a ransom for release. These attacks can interrupt telehealth services, affecting patient care.
- Unsecured Communication Channels – Without proper encryption, hackers can intercept communications between patients and healthcare providers. Ensure all communication platforms are resistant to data tampering.
- Inadequate Authentication – Weak or reused passwords make it easier for attackers to gain access. Consider adding Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to make any potential tampering more difficult.
- Vulnerable Software – When using a telemedicine service, outdated software with known vulnerabilities can make you an easy target.
- Insider Threats – While not as common, it is still important to remember that employees with access to sensitive information can misuse their privileges. Careless actions can lead to unintentional breaches and inadvertently expose data.
It is important to remember that these threats affect hospital systems, whether or not they use telemedicine services. Adding telemedicine means there is another place for potential attacks, requiring everyone from IT to general employees to remain vigilant to prevent detrimental data breaches.
Be sure when identifying your telemedicine partner you place security best practices at the top of your criteria list. At Eagle, we pride ourselves on maintaining the highest possible security posture for our own internal systems, as well as for how we engage with our hospital partners. For more information on Eagle Telemedicine and to learn about our secure implementation process, contact us today.
Related Posts:
5 Reasons to Implement a Hybrid Care Model
5 Ways Telemedicine Supports Nurses
