Big data helps hospitals in a big way

The healthcare industry struggles when it comes to trying to keep up with the latest technology on the market. Thankfully, the rise of more affordable cloud solutions and increased storage availability mean hospitals and clinics can finally catch up and implement direct improvements to hospital performance, such as lowering hospital readmission rates. Read on to […]

EHRs vs paper records: Which is better?

Is digital the way to go for the healthcare industry? Experts see no other way forward, as demonstrated by the popularity of electronic health records (EHRs). However, critics of this new recording process have pointed out major flaws that aren’t present in its traditional counterpart: paper-based recording. Read on to learn more. What is an […]

How to safeguard PHI

Hospital data breaches are emerging at an alarming rate and show no signs of slowing down in 2019. That’s because data fetches a hefty price on the black market, making hospitals prime targets for cybercriminals. The best way to defend against these threats is to arm your team with the following systems and protocols. Strict […]

Is the IoT a boon or a bane in healthcare?

The rule of cybersecurity states that anything that connects to the internet can be hacked. With the increasing popularity of Internet of Things (IoT) in the healthcare industry, every business should be on alert. Devices that contain a treasure trove of patient data are attractive targets for cybercriminals. Healthcare apps, for instance, contain plenty of […]

4 facts about HIPAA and your IT

HIPAA’s rules pertaining to IT are problematic to say the least, but things have become much clearer over the course of the past year. However, there are still a few areas in which your office might not be compliant. This isn’t necessarily through negligence on your part, but rather a lack of understanding as to […]

3 ways AI is revolutionizing healthcare

Technological advancements have brought us much closer to artificial intelligence (AI), such as cars that drive themselves and robots that interpret and summarize the news. AI is helping humankind in various industries, and healthcare is close to the top of that list. Virtual personal health assistants At the helm of the AI revolution are virtual […]

Best uses for virtual desktops

In the world of IT, there is a continuous quest to build systems with less time, funds, and effort. This is why virtualization has become so popular. One type of virtualization, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), provides a consistent desktop experience from any device. It is most helpful in the following scenarios: Healthcare In an industry […]

How to defend against insider threats

First off, what is an insider threat in healthcare? An insider threat is an individual inside an organization discovered to have been accessing healthcare records without authorization. Healthcare companies must take steps to reduce the potential for insider threats, which is their top source of security incidents. #1 Educate – The workforce (meaning all healthcare […]

How HIPAA Impacts Social Media Usage

Social Media can be an effective tool for sharing experiences, building professional connections, and broadcasting conventional healthcare announcements to the public. However, careless posts that have client or patient-specific information could ruin the reputation of any healthcare organization. On April 14, 2003, the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” (HIPAA) became law with the goal […]

Cybersecurity approaches to keep PHI safe

Healthcare organizations have always kept the possibility of data breaches in mind, especially since 2017 witnessed the biggest and most expensive data breach to date. To counter this, more businesses have hired certified technicians, but that’s not enough. They also need to implement the most advanced systems and protocols to reinforce their work, namely: Routine […]

Top 3 ways to prevent Spectre and Meltdown

Data security is critical to the healthcare industry. Hospitals and clinics need to ensure medical records are protected at all times to stay HIPAA-compliant. But with Spectre and Meltdown affecting every server, all healthcare providers are at risk of data breach. Why is Spectre and Meltdown a big problem for healthcare providers? Spectre and Meltdown […]

Improving healthcare data storage

As more medical practices adopt electronic health records (EHR), running out of digital storage is becoming an increasingly common issue. HIPAA-regulated practices don’t always have the option of cloud solutions, but virtualization is a secure and cost-effective alternative. What is virtualization? There are countless ways for healthcare practices to improve their operations with virtualization, but […]

Is EHR useful?

The fact that the world is going digital is unprecedented. With that in mind, the healthcare industry has also decided to embrace the digital trend in the form of EHRs. Short for electronic health records, this new type of data management system aims to improve on traditional paper-based ways. But will it? What is an […]

Key points from Protenus’ new report!

In November 2017, healthcare data security and privacy company Protenus released a report on the most common security breaches in healthcare. Here are a few key takeaways. Insiders are a bigger threat than hackers Protenus is one of the largest security vendors for electronic health records (EHRs) and their mid-year review sheds some important light […]

Mobile devices and HIPAA compliance

Mobile devices have revolutionized the healthcare industry: They’re convenient and significantly improve work efficiency and patients’ satisfaction. Yet they also come with risks. Patient data handled by those devices can be leaked. That’s why every healthcare provider needs to be extra careful about data security when using mobile devices. Why does data security matter so […]

Beware of healthcare IoT security risks

The Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to completely revolutionize the healthcare industry. Innovations like smart pacemakers and fitness trackers monitor patients’ vitals and unearth patterns that can lead to more accurate diagnoses. But like any new technology, it also brings a slew of security risks healthcare professionals need to address. IoT security risks […]

How will blockchain affect healthcare?

New IT trends are usually equal parts exciting and confusing. Today, that generalization describes blockchain technology perfectly. It’s a complex concept that has the potential to totally revolutionize every industry — including healthcare. Even if you have no plan to invest in blockchain soon, you need to understand what it is. What is blockchain? Although […]

What celebrities can teach us about HIPAA

Two trends have been rising in popularity in tandem: HIPAA compliance audits and social media. Obviously both of these are far too important to be correlated directly, but they do intersect with each other. Social media tends to push people toward oversharing, and that’s definitely something you don’t want when hosting regulated patient data. Celebrity […]

Telemedicine to help transform healthcare

Physicians in certain parts of the world still make house calls, but they’re a rare breed. Today, most patients either go to a neighborhood clinic or hospital, or make a quick trip to a pharmacy for instant relief. Patients who prefer to get treated in the comfort of their own home have another option too: […]

Cloud computing for the healthcare industry

No healthcare provider today can operate without robust technology backing them. That doesn’t mean they have to spend excessively on IT infrastructure they have to manage themselves. One of those tech expenses include costly healthcare software, complete with on-premise components that a healthcare company will be much better off outsourcing. The rising popularity of healthcare […]