If you had any shred of doubt that health care data breaches are a legitimate and major problem, those doubts have been laid to rest. Medical researchers published a study (link) showing that an astounding 29.1 million health records were compromised between 2010 and 2013.
That DOES NOT INCLUDE the major breaches in 2014 and early 2015!!
The majority of them (58%) were exposed through theft, but the rest were through hacks and un-authorized access.
Providers are not happy, as seen in the opinion piece that accompanies the study. Most argue that personal health data is “not safe” even with the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules in place.
What we (Third Rock) have found is that HIPAA alone is not enough to protect sensitive data. You must have a comprehensive solution that includes ongoing monitoring, ongoing training, proper policies & procedures, and a true risk assessment. Not just the minimums that HIPAA requires.
How does your organization stack up?
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