Dear readers,
HIMSS20 will be here sooner than you think. On March 9, healthcare stakeholders from all areas of the industry will descend upon Orlando to network, learn, and share stories about the professional passion that ties us all together.
To set up a meeting time, click here.
This year, however, as we head into the conference with excitement to discover new technologies and advancements there’s one particular challenge looming in the not-so-distant background – cyber security. This has always been a concern when it comes to healthcare data, of course, but the “hacking” headlines of the past 12 months prove that data security must now take center stage.
“In 2018, the healthcare sector saw 15 million patient records compromised in 503 breaches, three times the amount seen in 2017, according to the Protenus Breach Barometer. But just over halfway through 2019, and the numbers have skyrocketed with potentially more than 25 million patient records breached,” according to a July, 2019 article from Health IT Security. And of course, we know now that the numbers only grew from there.
In December, NJ-based Hackensack Meridian Health, a 17-hospital system, fell victim to a ransomware attack that brought down the entire system’s computer network for two days and resulted in the cancelation of about 100 surgical and other procedures, according to The Wall Street Journal. The health system eventually ended up paying an undisclosed amount to get back on its feet. “This episode, as well as the growing number of cyberattacks on other healthcare organizations, businesses, municipalities, universities and other entities makes it clear that even the best preparation may not prevent a successful attack,” Hackensack Meridian said in a statement.
This is why, as a company whose mission has always been to make crucial healthcare data accessible when and where clinicians need it, it was natural for Interbit Data to expand our offerings to address the growing problem of cyberattacks in the healthcare industry. Our newest software solution for hospitals, NetSafe CyberCrisis Vault, is designed to ensure access to patient information when a hospital network has been immobilized from a cyberattack.
CyberCrisis Vault maintains current, essential patient information such as MPI, Census, eMAR and patient forms on a protected NetSafe server, isolated from the HCIS network – regardless which EHR system you use. CyberCrisis Vault serves as a critical tool to preserve patient care during the immediate impact of a cyber crisis and provides hospitals with peace-of-mind knowing they have an intuitive, failsafe tool in place to access essential patient information, right away.
As you think about all the new innovations heading into HIMSS that can improve your business and patient outcomes, I urge you to focus on maintaining the security of the essential patient data that is the foundation of what you do every day.
I’d welcome the opportunity to discuss your organization’s cyber security needs in person during HIMSS. To set up a meeting time, click here. If you can’t make it to HIMSS and you’d still like to have a conversation, you can email me directly at ayoung@interbitdata.com.
See you in Orlando!
Best,
Arthur Young
Arthur Young
President & CEO
Interbit Data
