Airports are a great location for observing how technology has integrated into our daily lives.  We watch people on their smart phones, tablets, laptop computers, and those who are walking around looking for an outlet with a look of absolute fear on their face that they will run out of juice!  Credit card transactions, electronic boarding passes and bill pay options on our devices make our lives so much more productive and it’s all because of technology!

In the world of healthcare, providers are more and more changing their documentation style from using a pen to using a stylus and from paper to a mobile device.  Do you think your credit card information is more valuable than your medical record?  Think again…..a Reuters article reports that in August as a result of a privacy breach in one of the largest hospitals in the United States, the FBI warned healthcare providers to guard against cyber-attacks.  Chinese hackers broke into the hospital’s network and stole 4.5 million patient’s personal information. That’s right!  On the black market, your medical record is ten times more valuable than you credit card number, so cyber criminals are targeting the $3 trillion U.S. healthcare industry.

Did you know?

• In 2013, Criminal cyber-attacks have risen to 40 percent compared to 2009 at 20%.
• Cyber-criminals sell and buy patient data so they can fraudulently bill.
• Stolen health care credentials sell for $10 each, approximately 10 to 20 times the value of a U.S. credit card number.
• Healthcare providers and hospitals are some of the easiest networks to break into.

What are you doing to protect patient information?

Are you going to put money into a new piece of equipment or are you going to put money into cyber security?

Gina Tomcsik

Director of Compliance