Special Reports, Health IT, Hospitals

A look at cybersecurity in healthcare and the push to safeguard patient data

How has thinking around cybersecurity in healthcare evolved, and what challenges remain? How is the healthcare industry facing down cybersecurity threats internally and externally? 

By Stephanie Baum on March 31, 2020
The healthcare industry has been engaged in efforts to guard against cybersecurity threats for years with mixed results. Although hospitals, payers, and
other organizations have had to contend with security breaches, the industry has been learning how to address this issue and safeguard patient data.  Digitization of medical records and the ever-increasing pool of telehealth tools has made patient data increasingly accessible. With the obvious benefits of more readily accessible patient data is the flip side of this broad trend — patient data that’s at potentially greater risk of falling into the wrong hands.
The risks to healthcare organizations have evolved over the years from the bring your own device trend to ransomware and phishing attacks. But these cybersecurity issues aren’t just about malicious attacks. Research has shown that data breaches can also occur within organizations, in many cases by accident.  Covid-19 has led to many more people working remotely and making greater use of telehealth tools for virtual care. Healthcare workers are focused on contending with a surge of people diagnosed with covid-19 in addition to the rest of their patient caseload, potentially compounding the cybersecurity risks in healthcare.   In this eBook, we explore how thinking around cybersecurity in healthcare has evolved, and how it hasn’t. We also look at ways the healthcare industry is facing down cybersecurity threats internally and externally.  If you’re interested in sponsoring a special report, please contact [email protected].  Fill in the form to download the eBook, Cybersecurity in Healthcare.
Photo: MF3d, Getty Images