Posted By Amanda Girard On August 19, 2021
Staff Moves: Increasing Security and Protecting Patient Data
With news of cyberattacks on the rise, healthcare agencies can do a lot towards increasing security and protecting patient data. Shopping for a secure Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution is one step. Your agency can also support your team through training, policies and a comprehensive security program. It should be stressed to all staff members the importance of individual commitment to good digital security, however. Oftentimes, the weakest link in security at any organization is employees.
Make sure your healthcare agency has an EHR that is designed with all of the modern security challenges in mind. Train your staff on security features and best practices. Make sure both your vendor and staff have a well defined policy for how to deal with a ransomware attack or a disaster. You need an alternative solution if your system goes down for a considerable amount of time, whether falling back on paper or something else. Finally, secure your IT infrastructure with a good antivirus program that is professionally managed.
Organizations of all sizes should support their teams through training, policies, and a comprehensive security program; however, the commitment of all individuals on your staff to good digital security is extremely important. Educate all staff on password security, email security and not sharing work laptops with family and friends. Your staff should be informed that filters for spam will stop many scam emails but some things may still get through. It is important they know not to click links in emails from unknown sources. Good digital security also entails not reusing passwords, disabling inactive accounts, using multi-factor authentication, regularly backing up data and updating software frequently.
Make sure each individual on your staff is committed to increasing security and protecting patient data. They must all recognize that individual actions are directly linked to large-scale outcomes where technology and digital security are concerned. While important to use an EHR with good security and to have your antivirus professionally managed, good digital security practices of all your healthcare agency staff is important to preventing cyberattacks.
