Cybersecurity: A key investment for the evolving healthcare industry

There has been a substantial increase in the digitalization of the healthcare industry in recent years. Formerly dependent on analog technology and human care, the industry has progressed to a point where optimized and efficient processes, as well as minimal human errors, are now the norm. New tools and technology are already making ripples in the healthcare sector. They have the potential to revolutionize the delivery of health services - increasing efficiency and providing better patient care.

Nonetheless, with the advantages of digitization come considerable risks and drawbacks. As the world advances towards computerized change, cybercrime and digital dangers are turning out more predominant than ever and reminding us that that innovation isn't always reliable. Recently, the healthcare industry has witnessed several data breaches.

A cyberattack on Ireland's well-being framework had clammed the country's health services for seven days. It hampered access to patient records; deferred Covid-19 testing; auto-prompted cancellation of medical appointments. The attackers held the data at Ireland's publicly financed health care system, the Health Service Executive, hostage using ransomware, which encrypts victims' data until they pay a ransom. Owing to this, the H.S.E. had to shut down its information technology infrastructure.

In another incident, the world's largest pharmaceutical company shut down all its production facilities post-discovery of a data breach on its servers. Federal agencies have cautioned that cybercrime is steadily increasing. It is posing an impending threat to the healthcare system, with cybercriminals launching a wave of extortion. These cybercriminals attempt to detain hospital information systems; potentially damaging patient care at a time when nationwide cases of Covid-19 are on the rise.

According to a recent report, there were approximately 600 healthcare data breaches in 2020, up by 55 % from 2019. Not only has the frequency of data breaches increased, but the average cost per breach has also climbed up by nearly 10%. According to the survey, hacking and IT incidents were responsible for 67.3% of all healthcare breaches in 2020. Unauthorized disclosure, which accounted for 21.5 percent of all breaches, is more than three times as frequent. Not only are healthcare data breaches becoming more prevalent, but they are also becoming more expensive.

This throws the healthcare business in jeopardy, not sparring any aspect of it. Hence, hospitals and other healthcare organizations must recognize the importance of cybersecurity. Health workers' access to patient data may be hindered by cyber assaults, resulting in catastrophic medical errors or treatment gaps. The healthcare industry's procedures were primarily reliant on human resources before digitization. Owing to a large amount of data on paper, the workforce had to preserve hundreds of files for each patient.

As the population rose, this technique of preserving and extracting data became cumbersome and nearly obsolete. Preventing cyberattacks is necessary since hospitals become inefficient without maintaining data on cloud networks and databases. It is vital to protect databases and networks against cybercrime. When analyzing healthcare security systems, it is recommended for the cybersecurity team to conduct a third-party network assessment to identify any vulnerabilities and network visibility.

Implementing cybersecurity programs and patient safety programs will not only help businesses secure patient safety and privacy but will also assure the continuous delivery of high-quality treatment by minimizing disruptions that can negatively impact clinical outcomes. Since they hold so much information of significant monetary and intelligence value to cybercriminals, health care institutions are particularly vulnerable to and targeted by cyberattacks. Patients' Protected Health Information (PHI), financial information such as credit card and bank account numbers, and Personally-Identifying Information (PII) such as Social Security Numbers are among the data sets targeted.

Summing up!

Stakeholders must prioritize cybersecurity in this data-driven world. Hackers are continuously upgrading themselves, and they understand how to take advantage of the human component in the medical field. Cyber thieves conduct their study on where to focus their attacks. The healthcare business must be attentive to the need for cybersecurity to avoid legal implications; medical fraud, and reputational damage from exposed patient data. To secure the industry as a whole, we need to implement adequate security methods, as well as impart cybersecurity training educating people on the importance of security.

Note: The author of the article is Nitin Gaur, Senior Director - Information Security, Risk & Compliance, Omega Healthcare Management Services Pvt. Ltd.