11 Data Security Tips For A Healthy Organization In 2013

2013 is the Year of the Snake in Chinese culture. In the healthcare world, I predict 2013 will be the Year of the Data Breach. The numbers back me up: 94 percent of healthcare organizations surveyed suffered data breaches, according to the Third Annual Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy & Data Security, a report recently issued by Ponemon Institute. Given their frequency, data breaches have become what I call an everyday disaster.

Healthcare organizations want and need to protect against organizational and financial stresses of data breaches, but the pervasive nature of electronic protected health information (PHI) makes this a difficult task — an understatement — to be sure.

Nonetheless, I agree with Richard Santalesa, senior counsel at InfoLawGroup LLP: “Resist the urge to ‘skimp’ on security in 2013, thinking ‘we already do enough.’ With fines, penalties and enforcement actions increasing, capable data security personnel, demonstrably solid systems and regular risk reviews should be kept far from the chopping block even in increasingly challenging fiscal environments.”