It is very important that sensitive and confidential patient data in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Practice Management (PM) Software is protected and secured. With technological advancements, healthcare facilities and health care providers are using Cloud-Based healthcare platforms for diagnosis and treatment of patients and also to improve clinical and financial workflow.
Protecting personal patient data can be a real challenge. Electronic Healthcare Records (EHR) data is a prime target of hackers. Therefore, the security of patient data needs to be improved for the peace of mind of both the patient and the medical practice.
Practices should not lack basic security procedures and policies and should make it a point to be updated to perform security risk assessments. We will disclose the 5 tips which can help to enhance data security for medical practices in 2020.
- Software Updates are Essential – You shouldn’t be lax when it comes to EMR software updates. These updates are highly important as the latest versions offer up to the mark security level. Putting off these updates means your device is vulnerable and hence the data is more prone to attack
- Controlled Access – There should be controlled and monitored access to patient data. For example only authorized individuals and security teams should be allowed to access the details. Also system audits can be helpful to see and verify who accessed which type of data and the time details
- Use of Different and Strong Passwords – Out of convenience don’t use the same password for everything. Simple and easily guessed passwords can cause theft of sensitive patient data. The medical practice should make sure that employees generate new passwords occasionally
- Performing Risk Assessments – In order to determine the weaknesses of your systems, the organization should perform self risk assessments by engaging the in-house IT crew.
- Encryption – Encryption of data is highly important and allows health care institutions to protect themselves from data breaches and any cyber-attacks. The data needs to be encrypted on every single device within the system.
It is crucial for healthcare organizations to provide protection and security of patient data, these tips will guarantee to safeguard data against any potential threats.
