Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) partners for small and medium enterprise businesses

Patients must be able to trust that information shared in confidence will be protected.

Preserving that trust, preventing harm, and respecting patients’ privacy and autonomy are all obligations of all medical professionals. (a graphic bubble with an image of Hippocrates with a portion of the Hippocratic Oath that states in relevant part: “I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know.“ [revised Hippocratic Oath])

The American Medical Association notes that cybersecurity has a significant impact on health care and states in Principle IV of Medical Ethics that physicians “shall respect the rights of patients… and shall safeguard patient confidences and privacy within the constraints of the law.”

Legal Requirements

Standards

Regulatory requirements for medical professionals can be difficult and costly especially for smaller practices.

Many ignore complex problems. You need trained professionals who understand your business and your risk, to help you to build and operate your security program, educate staff, and prepare for potential cyber incidents. We specialize in making cybersecurity simple, easy to operate, and cost effective for your practice.

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Compliance Risks

Key risks in the medical sector

Data Breaches and Confidentiality

Electronic Medical Records include the sending and receiving emails, entering health and prescription information, connecting patients to medical equipment (via hospital network or wirelessly to a tablet), sending and receiving digital images, and handling payment and insurance information.

Ransomware Attacks

Cybercriminals can deploy ransomware to encrypt data and demand a ransom in exchange for decryption keys.

Internal Threats and Insider Attacks

Employees or contractors with access to sensitive client data can intentionally or unintentionally leak information, or their accounts can be compromised.

Phishing and Social Engineering Attacks

Cybercriminals use phishing emails, phone calls, or fake websites to deceive medical professionals into revealing confidential information or transferring funds.

Third-Party Risks

Medical service providers often rely on third-party vendors for coding and medical billing, cloud storage, patient record management, IT management, etc. These third parties may not have the same level of security controls.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance Violations

Medical service providers must comply with various federal and state laws regarding data protection..

Best Practices for the Medical Sector in Mitigating These Risks

We will partner with you to adopt a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity that includes the following best practices:

Strong Encryption: Use strong encryptions for all sensitive data at rest and in transit, to protect against unauthorized access,
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Implement MFA for access to critical systems and sensitive patient data.
Access Controls: Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) to ensure only authorised personnel can access sensitive information.
Regular Audits and Assessments: Conduct regular security assessments to identify risks and vulnerabilities and establish proactive mitigations.
Secure Medical Devices: Work closely with manufacturers to ensure that medical devices connected to your network are secure and regularly updated.

Third-Party Risk Management: Carefully screen and vet third-party providers and ensure they meet high security standards and comply with access controls to patient data.
Incident Response Plan: Establish a robust incident response plan to quickly address and mitigate the effects of any cybersecurity breaches.
Disaster Recovery Plan: Develop and regularly test business continuity plans to ensure business resilience in case of a cyber event.
Employee Training: Regularly educate employees on phishing attacks, business email compromise, data protection, and proper handling of sensitive patient information.

We will help you build a proactive risk and compliance strategy so that you can mitigate risks, comply with legislative requirements, and uphold patient trust in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

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