Trends & Technology – Page 6 – RISC Management and Consulting

Modernizing your systems and keeping up to date is a daunting task in the healthcare industry. However, upgrades, replacements, or modernization of systems is the best option to improve data security and ensure optimal provision of healthcare services.

Informatics is a broad term that includes a myriad of focus areas to meet the evolving needs of technology. There are various fields of study being offered such as social informatics, cheminformatics, security informatics, bioinformatics, and health informatics to name only a few. Degrees are available including a Bachelor of Science in Informatics where a student can study basic concepts of software architecture, a Master of Science in Informatics, and a Ph.D. in Informatics. The internet provides descriptions of many universities offering informatics such as Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Chamberlain College of Nursing, the University of Michigan, and many more.

In healthcare those in the field of informatics are referred to as clinical informatics. Many clinical informatics are physicians, nurses, and other health care staff who received augmented training in the application of technology to investigate issues in their field. In addition, they are able to interpret, analyze and substantively use electronic health record technology to provide efficiency along with safety in their clinical practice. Knowledge of workflow and project management comes into play as well.

The HIMSS14 Sneak Peek, is a great starting place for those interested or curious about this evolving field. Parker (2013) the Chief Nursing Informatics Officer for Rubbermaid Healthcare, stated her reasons for attending including obtaining her required continuing education as well as the social aspect of networking. Researching new ideas is the main focus why Rabinowitz (2013), Director of Federal Markets, Socrata will attend HIMSS14. He said healthcare data can make the largest contribution in five areas: improving standards of living, improving quality of care, improving provider access, improving value, and improving access to innovation. Rabinowitz (2013) is an advocate for evidence based medicine and innovation.

HIMSS14 will be held in Orlando, Florida with the Nursing Informatics Symposium starting on Saturday, February 22^nd, 2014. However, the actual start date begins Monday, February 24^th. For more information please visit: http://www.himssconference.org/

Sponsored by: RISC Management, www.RISCsecurity.com

References

Parker, C.D.(2013). HIMSS14’s value to clinicians: It’s more than a shopping trip. Retrieved from http://www.himss.org/News/NewsDetail.aspx?ItemNumber=26241

Rabinowitz, S. (2013). Using health data in innovative ways. Retrieved from http://www.himss.org/News/NewsDetail.aspx?ItemNumber=26242&navItemNumber=17425

Privacy and Security is important not just for healthcare information but in everyday aspects of our life, such as banking, that affect all of us. Recently, in Brooklyn, New York, six people were arrested and charged for stealing 45 million dollars from Middle East banks. According to NBC News, the “hackers stole debit card data from the National Bank of Ras Al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates and Bank Muscat in Oman in two attacks in December 2012 and February 2013, according to prosecutors. These individuals allegedly broke into payment-processing companies used by the two banks and raised the balances and withdrawal limits on the cards, prosecutors said. Crews in more than 20 countries, such as the cell arrested Monday, then withdrew $5 million between Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 and $40 million between Feb. 19 and Feb. 20.”

Exploiting cyber weaknesses

It would seem the same technology the healthcare industry is implementing for ensuring their protected health information stays private and secure is similar to banking industry needs and governmental-spying prevention. The Morning Sentinel reports encrypted email, and other privacy solutions are increasing in popularity in the wake of the National Security Agency’s reported surveillance programs. As a whole, our society has been tolerating privacy issues for many years, including those broken by our own National Security Agency (NSA) reported by the Washington Post on August 15^th, 2013. Many organizations such as Google shared the importance of encrypting their own data centers around the world to deter snooping, and protect their clients.

For one solution, Pogoplug, business is booming – it’s garnered close to 1 million paid subscribers in its first year – and the company is anxious to accommodate concerned clients. This month Pogoplug launched a $49 software package called Safeplug that prevents third parties, from the NSA to Google, from learning about a user’s location or browsing habits.

But many warn that encryption offers a false sense of security.

“The fundamental designers of cryptography are in an arms race right now, but there are a series of weaknesses and missing oversights that have nothing to do with encryption that leave people vulnerable,” says Patrick Peterson, CEO of Silicon Valley-based email security firm Agari. And many that do work, bog down or freeze computers, forcing “a trade-off between security and convenience,” he says.

Many hacking or data breach security incidents were not the result of complex attacks or zero day vulnerability exploitation. Rather they occur because of disinterest, overwork, poor configuration management, slow patching, and a complete lack of assessing, or PEN-testing an organization’s own systems.

Many security incidents, such as the too-popular crypto-locker, occur because an untrained or trained-but-curious employee opened an email with an attachment. Regardless of coaching and formal training employees find it hard to resist opening an interesting email.

Regardless, an information security, data privacy, and awareness training program for all members of your workforce is critical both to reduce risk and to show a track record of sincere and sustained efforts at compliance, according to Chris Heuman, Practice Leader at RISC Management.

This post brought to you by RISC Management & Consulting. Visit us at www.RISCsecurity.com

Resources:

Morning Sentinel: http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/Computer_privacy_services_booming_in_wake_of_NSA_surveillance_fears.html?pagenum=2

NBC News: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/6-arrested-45-million-global-atm-bank-cyberheist-2D11617858 and http://www.nbcnews.com/id/51850893/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/#.UpkQhcSsh8F

Washington Post: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/keyword/national-security-agency and http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-06/business/41831756_1_encryption-data-centers-intelligence-agencies