By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress disorder
    5 Ways To Manage Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    October 27, 2021
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    April 5, 2023
    varicose veins
    Varicose Veins Prevention: 3 Lifestyle Changes to Make Right Now
    May 1, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Is Your Health Organization Prepared for Accountable Care?
    December 18, 2013
    CMS penalties
    CMS to Begin Implementing Payment Penalties Tied to Patient Outcomes
    July 16, 2014
    Call to Action: America’s Health Rankings Senior Report
    May 20, 2015
    Latest News
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Are Digital Medical Records Harder to Protect?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Medical Records > Are Digital Medical Records Harder to Protect?
Medical Records

Are Digital Medical Records Harder to Protect?

McColumns
Last updated: March 30, 2016 11:00 am
McColumns
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

The advent of comprehensive digital record-keeping certainly can simplify the medical records process in hospitals. Both recording and retrieving those records is simpler now than when the standard was to request physical copies and then wait for them to arrive via mail. It’s clear that the intersection of health and IT provides ease of access to medical records by hospital personnel and patients. Unfortunately, this ease of access works in reverse.

The advent of comprehensive digital record-keeping certainly can simplify the medical records process in hospitals. Both recording and retrieving those records is simpler now than when the standard was to request physical copies and then wait for them to arrive via mail. It’s clear that the intersection of health and IT provides ease of access to medical records by hospital personnel and patients. Unfortunately, this ease of access works in reverse. Many Americans are victims of unauthorized, illegal access to their private medical records.

8.5% of all data breaches occur in the medical community. In 2015 alone, there were 253 breaches that account for the loss of over 112 million medical records in the United States. Anthem’s hacking incident in 2015 resulted in the breach of approximately 78,800,000 records. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights lists that of these breaches, 1,496 medical data breach incidents (affecting 500 individuals or more) have occurred since 2009.

Sensitive medical information often relates to past and present physical and mental health conditions. These files often include payment information and other personally identifiable information, including addresses and social security numbers.

More Read

eHeath medical records
Enterprise-Wide Medical Deivice Integration and CIS Workflow
What Hath EMR Wrought?
Electronic Medical Records are Super Cool!
Make Your Hospital’s Digital Experience Mom-Friendly
3 Pathology Synoptic Reporting Examples

A resource that sheds light on the issue of unauthorized access to medical records is the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse site, where you can search for data breaches by organization, year, and type. Worth noting is that these are comprised only of reported incidents. In the vast majority of these incidents, there is little or nothing that patients can do to prevent it. These records are entrusted to healthcare and insurance providers who then face hacking, malware, and other types of breaches.

The 2016 Bitglass Healthcare Breach Report determined that 98% of healthcare data breaches in 2015 were caused by hackers specifically targeting the industry.

The simple truth is that protected health information is valuable in the wrong hands. Interestingly, it is the non-medical information that is typically targeted because it can be used to take out lines of credit and receive other types of services under the victim’s identity. Social security numbers and other personally identifying information is very difficult to protect again once compromised.

The most difficult part of all is protecting your own personal information, because you have little control over it once it leaves your custody. HIPAA privacy and security rules do not protect your information when offshore private third parties operating outside the system illegally acquire your information. Aside from identity theft protection services, there are steps that you can take to protect information that you do control.

  • Avoid posting private information in public places

  • Use strong passwords to secure your data and replace them regularly

  • Read privacy policies and know your rights before you share your information

  • Shred sensitive documents before throwing them away

In most cases, healthcare data is targeted to gain access to your social security number and other personally identifiable information. By remaining vigilant and restricting who has access to your data, you can minimize your risks and maximize the security of your personal information.

Original Post Appears at: http://www.mccauleyscolumns.com/news/why-do-hackers-want-digital-medical-records

TAGGED:cost of data breachdata
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
Mental Health
June 18, 2025
healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025

You Might also Like

Patient-Generated Health Data
eHealthMedical RecordsMobile HealthRemote Diagnostics

Patient-Generated Health Data: a Shift in Care Delivery?

October 20, 2017
HIPAA Compliant Data Centers
Medical Records

Michigan Health Information Exchange (HIE) Invests in Secure Network

October 27, 2012
eHealthMedical Records

Why Doctors Need To Be Vigilant In Protecting Patient Data

July 6, 2020

OIG Looking at Mis-Coding of E and M Claims

November 3, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?