Healthcare providers must implement better technical safeguards to improve their cybersecurity and combat the rise in cyberattacks.
More specifically, using a HIPAA compliant solution can help providers safeguard protected health information (PHI), and restore patient trust.
Since 2009, the healthcare sector has experienced 5,887 data breaches involving 500 or more records, ultimately compromising over half a billion healthcare records.
A recent study on cybersecurity in healthcare found that “the rate of reported healthcare data breaches of 500 or more records was about one per day in 2018. However, within just five years, this rate has more than doubled,” reaching an average of 1.99 breaches per day by 2023.”
With an average of 364,571 records breached daily, healthcare organizations are more prone to cyberattacks than ever.
Healthcare cyberattacks are a widespread issue impacting providers, health plans, and other HIPAA-regulated entities across the United States.
In the first half of 2024 alone, healthcare data breaches were reported in 45 states, where “Only six states—Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, South Dakota, and Vermont—managed to avoid reporting large data breaches during this period.”
California and Texas were the most affected states, with 38 and 34 large-scale breaches, respectively. The scale of these incidents is evident in the number of records compromised, as California saw 14,330,665 records breached, while Texas reported 8,427,581 records exposed.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provides the regulatory framework that safeguards PHI and encourages patient trust. HIPAA compliance relies on its Privacy Rule, the Security Rule, and the Breach Notification Rule.
“The Privacy Rule sets national standards for the protection of PHI.” Additionally, the Security Rule requires healthcare providers to implement safeguards to protect electronic PHI. These safeguards include administrative, physical, and technical measures, such as risk assessments, encryption, access controls, and staff training on security best practices.
Despite such set guidelines, health providers can find it difficult to achieve compliance with old technology and limited resources. As the study states, "healthcare providers must adopt proactive, adaptive cybersecurity strategies to deal with emerging threats,” which are often more advanced than the current security measures many organizations have in place.
HIPAA regulations mandate that healthcare providers implement the following security measures:
Go deeper: Does your organization comply with the Security Rule’s requirements?
According to the study, “Encryption and decryption technologies are essential technical safeguards.” It encodes PHI, making it unreadable to unauthorized users.
More specifically, healthcare providers must use a HIPAA compliant email solution, like Paubox, which uses advanced encryption to protect PHI during transmission and rest. Encrypted email adds a layer of security to this highly digitized and vulnerable cybersecurity landscape.
Although the current state of healthcare cybersecurity has its challenges, it also presents an opportunity for innovation. Healthcare providers must regularly update their security measures to stay HIPAA compliant and prevent data breaches. The study suggests that "adhering to regulation and innovation is essential in managing cyber risks and fostering a safer healthcare environment."
A breach occurs when an unauthorized party gains access, uses, or discloses protected health information (PHI) without permission. Breaches include hacking, losing a device containing PHI, or sharing information with unauthorized individuals.
HIPAA compliant emails are secure emails that use encryption, authentication methods, and access controls to safeguard patients’ protected health information (PHI).
HIPAA compliant emailing platforms, like Paubox, sign a business associate agreement (BAA) so they are legally obligated to protect PHI shared through their platform.
Yes, AI-powered features can be integrated with HIPAA compliant emailing platforms, like Paubox, to automate processes like patient consent management and sending personalized emails while maintaining HIPAA compliance.