Why is Cyber Security Critical To Maintaining HIPAA Compliance?
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is recognized to be a federal law that promotes the protection of critical patient information, without being revealed to others. Here, sensitive patient information is disclosed only with the patient’s consent. Crucial patient data must be preserved virtually, considering the max use of computers and digital networks. The adherence to HIPAA federal law practice performs an integral role in the prevention of data breaches, preventing misconduct of healthcare treatments, and considering spammers and hackers.
Cyber Security Scenario and Importance of HIPAA as a federal law
Data security breaches that are network-oriented lead to negative consequences in healthcare organizations. Accordingly, this can adversely affect the supply of quality care and treatment to patients. Identification of a flaw in the hospital’s cyber security network can lead to the disclosure of valuable patient data resulting in malicious attacks, ransomware threats, and other cyber threats. Hence, compliance and implementation with obedience to certain Cyber Security solutions like the official rule of HIPAA law for every patient by the doctor will lead to safe online commercial practices for providing beneficial health outcomes.
Electronic Health Records(EHR) can present the threat of encryption and cyber attackers taking control of sensitive healthcare data assets, blocking, and denying access to the same healthcare data infrastructure to doctors. In this context, ransomware threats can demand money for access and cause damage to overall patient data.
According to HHS Cyber Security Program and their reported 2021 trends, the average ransomware paid for the US healthcare sector was $1,31,000, after reporting 48 ransomware cases. Costs incurred were $1.27 million for resolving the case.
Benefits of Compliance with Cyber Security and HIPAA Federal Law
- Commercial Protection from loss of PHI
Private Healthcare Information(PHI) is understood to be an offense by disclosure and revealing of a patient’s sensitive valuable data. Here, the healthcare organization’s medical data is put at risk, if disclosed online or to others without the patient’s consent. Accordingly, compliance with Cyber Security Scenario will lead to the protection of healthcare data assets, preventing any PHI loss.
- Enhanced awareness of patient well-being
Cyber Security Solutions like HIPAA Compliance provides the scope for healthcare staff members with practical training on a code of conduct that must be practiced for the online protection of patient data. Accordingly, this leads to the best quality care delivery with patient interaction and fulfilling their healthcare needs.
- Healthcare staff gets useful and serviceable online tools with HIPAA Compliance via accurate training. This does not only trains staff on PHI significance and importance but also on how to accurately protect Patient Healthcare Information online.
- Build and develop a patient-oriented safety culture
The well-being and best condition of patients are decided depending on the culture of the Healthcare organization. When healthcare employees strictly follow, abide and work in compliance with HIPAA programs for every patient, they develop a stronger patient-oriented healthcare way of life.
- Get valuable benefits of protection of PHI data like fall prevention, accurate management of medication records, infection control, and safety practices.
- The healthcare staff’s compliance to the HIPAA federal law provides the scope for reduced errors by any staff members due to serviceable training offered.
- More satisfaction value from patients and their families
Cyber Security Solutions in the form of HIPAA compliance help in gaining the patient’s trust for the healthcare services offered. Data security breaches can lose the patient’s and their family’s trust in the hospital’s credentials, specifically when a family member of a patient complains leading to online data security breaches.
In these cases, Office For Civil Rights (OCR) organizes a HIPAA compliance audit to check the validity and intensity of sensitive data exposure considering its effects, if any.
Purpose of Cyber Security Compliance with HIPAA policy
Obedience to HIPAA policy for every healthcare project will result in decreasing the liability for your healthcare organization with employee executives. An accurate code of conduct followed with responsibility considering the HIPAA law not only protects patient’s integrity but also develops the staff’s reputation for following HIPAA rules. HIPAA compliance, and simultaneously robust Cyber Security Services, with the ability to be successful in wide conditions, are considered compulsory training provided by the Government for all healthcare workers.
Significance of Cyber Security Compliance with HIPAA policy
The HIPAA policy provides the potential for receiving the correct training for the online protection of commercial healthcare assets.
- Not only does HIPAA compliance training offer scope for patient data protection but also protects healthcare staff.
- If any cases are found of irresponsibility towards accurate training of staff considering compliance to HIPAA law then the healthcare staff can be penalized with large fines. HIPAA compliance prevents the risk of liability for healthcare organizations’ employees like personal liability lawsuits due to no chances of proper training provided.
- Also, the investment of time in the provision of practical training offers doctors and other healthcare staff the potential to prevent chances of errors to be identified by OCR. Accordingly, this also prevents other risky dangers for healthcare businesses leading to the benefit of patient outcomes due to HIPAA compliance/obedience as a part of healthcare companies operating with the use of Cyber Security Services.
- Cyber Security Services in healthcare organizations must be significantly implemented with an official procedure or system of rules like a protocol.
- Priority is reviewing and strengthening a current cyber security posture with certain real-time strategies, compatible with real commercial scenarios that can be implemented. Also, cyber security solutions, ethical policies, and parameters to avoid future data breaches must be executed.
Tailored cyber security policies precisely meant for healthcare organizations relevant to the commercial scenarios like HIPAA compliance must be monitored considering its impact. Also, its level and intensity of compliance must be regulated with supervision for beneficial patient outcomes. An actionable plan to achieve objectives must be implemented.
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