Cybersecurity is becoming a huge concern for hospitals. Hospitals can’t function optimally until they have good healthcare IT security system. Hackers can use ransomware attacks for locking important systems. Due to this, hospitals need to constantly improve their IT security systems. It is very important to protect EMR data from these attackers. According to a report from IBM, more than 100 million EMR records were compromised in 2015.

Healthcare attacks are also more costly when compared to normal data breaches. Hospitals lose about $363 per record breached. This amount is actually only $154 per record for normal businesses. The cost is also rising with time and it is going to hit $400 in 2021. Thus, data breaches are becoming more expensive as governments are becoming stricter.

According to a survey from Sophos, healthcare companies don’t have access to good data encryption tools. Only 31% of hospitals are actually encrypting their data. However, at the same time, more than 60% of telecommunication businesses are encrypting their data. The U.S. Department of Health has recently published its report. According to this report, healthcare IT security is in very bad condition.

Secure healthcare systems

Most healthcare systems can’t deliver security to their patients. They are not using effective solutions for doing their work. Almost all health care systems are connected. However, these healthcare systems are insecure. Due to this, your patient’s privacy is at risk. You need to ensure that you are protecting your patient’s data. Currently, patients need to choose between security and connectivity. If they are choosing digital connectivity, then their privacy and data are at risk.

Many hospitals are trying to catch up with modern cybersecurity. The U.S. Government has already released some guidelines and infographics for hospitals. These guidelines will help you in protecting your EMR data from attackers. Governments are also helping small hospitals in protecting their data from attackers.

Hospitals can’t stop using technology. Technology and digital connectivity are very important for hospitals. However, at the same time healthcare, IT services need to deal with attackers. In this article, we are going to share some tips that will help you in protecting your data from breaches.

Cybersecurity Training

Most data breaches happen due to human errors. Thus, the human element is the biggest threat to your EMR data. Attackers don’t even need to target your IT systems. Sometimes your own employees can leak your data. Hackers will mostly target your employees as your employees don’t know anything about cybersecurity. Thus, they are an easy target for attackers.

You should start by giving training to your employees. This is the best way to protect your hospital from security breaches. Make sure that your employees can deal with cybersecurity-related issues. You should ensure that your employees are not vulnerable to attacks. If your employees are vulnerable, then your IT solutions will automatically become vulnerable.

You can use the guidelines released by HHS to train your employees. It will give you a basic outline which you can use to train your employees. However, the best way to train your employees is by working with an MSP. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can help you in training your employees. They will ensure that your employees know about basic cybersecurity practices.

Cybersecurity training is very important if your employees can access your data remotely. You need to enforce strict monitoring and guidelines for ensuring that your network is protected.

Invest in IT security

Many hospitals think that they are too small and attackers will never target them. However, this will backfire in long run. Healthcare IT security is considered expensive in starting but it is very important for your hospital.

If you are using too few resources to protect your network, then attackers will easily find a way to steal your data. The cost of a data breach is very high for hospitals. Thus, your cybersecurity systems will actually act as insurance.

Update your systems

The most important thing when it comes to cybersecurity is your IT systems. You can’t use legacy systems for protecting your network. It is important to ensure that you have access to the latest systems and technology.

You should know about the current IT landscape. This will help you in finding the best IT systems and tools for your hospital. The technology is always going to improve with time. Thus, you should always look for better products and systems. These modern systems and applications will provide maximum IT security to your EMR data.

If you think that your hosting service is not secure, then you should move to other hosting services. These things will help you in preparing for cybersecurity attacks.

Don’t panic

Sometimes your IT network can get breached even if you have access to the best IT security systems. However, still, good cybersecurity systems will help you in strengthening your defenses. It will ensure that attackers can’t use obvious attacks for targeting your system.

However, you should never panic during a cyber attack. Cyber defense is always going to be the first step. However, you should always work on a disaster recovery plan. This plan will help you in recovering your systems after a cyber attack. You should always keep a cool head during a security breach.

It is very important to develop a contingency plan as it will help you in recovering your data and systems during a disaster. Thus, it will be a boon for your IT security. It will ensure that your hospital can handle everything.

Conclusion

Healthcare IT is very important for providers. However, it has also become difficult with time. There are many attackers who will try to target your hospital. Thus, you should ensure that you have access to the best cybersecurity systems. If you don’t have access to cybersecurity professionals, then you should consider working with an MSP. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can help you in protecting your data from attackers. They will ensure that you are implementing the best IT security controls. Bleuwire will also help you in training your employees. This will ensure that you don’t need to worry about human errors. If you need more information regarding EMR security, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.