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
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    February 10, 2022
    Which Mushroom Capsules Are Good for Your Health?
    May 5, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
    September 10, 2025
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 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
    Extending the Frontiers: Working Despite Alzheimer’s and Campus Smoking Bans
    September 1, 2011
    Wall Street Protesters Need a Cause Like Healthcare
    October 6, 2011
    Maps 2.0: Interacting With Our Health Care World
    November 14, 2011
    Latest News
    Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
    September 9, 2025
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Protect Patient Information: Teaching Healthcare Employees about Phishing Scams
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 > Protect Patient Information: Teaching Healthcare Employees about Phishing Scams
eHealthMedical RecordsTechnology

Protect Patient Information: Teaching Healthcare Employees about Phishing Scams

Sarah Daren
Sarah Daren
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

Healthcare facilities and insurance companies have started moving most paper patient records to electronic databases. These digital records are allowing information to move faster and easier between doctors. Yet, electronic files also have a great risk of being hacked. For example, nine million patient health records were breached in 2014 alone. These breaches included patients? names, birth dates, social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers and employment information.

Contents
  • Training workshops
  • Create complex passwords
  • Restrict Internet access
  • Encrypt sensitive information

Hackers try to use a variety of methods to access private information. The attack used most often is called a phishing scam. This method sends an email to thousands of employees with a corrupted link or attachment, and only one employee has to open the email for hackers to gain access to all the data information on private servers. The easiest way to combat these attacks is through employee education, and to help with this, below we’ll go through four ways that hospitals can further protect patient information by helping employees avoid phishing scams.

Training workshops

Ongoing employee workshops can help train staff on what to look for in phishing emails. Training is becoming especially important due to scams becoming more complex, with hackers spending more time to make their websites and logos look authentic. Employees should also be aware of spear-phishing attacks which are a more sophisticated scam. Within these scams, hackers will do extensive research on the intended target. They are able to provide details about the company or employee that makes the email seem more legitimate. After training, facilities should practice by performing phishing attempts against their own staff. This will allow executives to see how staff handle corrupted emails and show who needs additional work recognizing phishing scams.

Create complex passwords

Another way healthcare facilities can prevent hackers from obtaining private information is to write a security policy requiring employees to create complex passwords that include a mix of capital letters, numbers and special characters. Additionally, employees should not be allowed to use the same password for multiple logins. Their passwords should expire every six months to keep information secure. This is important because once a hacker obtains your password, it is easier for them to guess your next password, as shown by a 2010 study where researchers that knew the user?s previous password were able to uncover the next password in fewer than five guesses.

More Read

The Three Cs of Physician Reputation Management
6 Key Considerations When Revising Your ICD-10 Timeline
US News and Doximity Launch Physician Directory
Healthcare Compass: Comparing Primary Care Quality in Massachusetts
Telling Stories & Busting Myths at Mayo Clinic’s Transform 2015 Conference

Restrict Internet access

Healthcare facilities should construct a policy on Internet browsing during work hours. At times, careless web browsing can increase the chance of employees falling for a phishing scheme. Another way to keep employees safe from phishing scams is to install a web filter. This filter would deny access to fake websites and blocks downloading files types associated with malware. Examples of these fraudulent websites may include those that don?t use https or begin with an IP address are fraudulent. If employees come across these sites, they should report them to IT staff immediately who can block access to them and keep information protected.

Encrypt sensitive information

While providers can?t prevent employees from falling for every phishing scam, they can still keep sensitive patient information safe. Healthcare facilities can keep private patient information out of hackers hands by using data encryption when the information is stored locally and when it is sent from one device to another. Data encryption will allow only staff with the proper ?key? to be able to read the information. Some mobile devices come with encryption software already built-in. If that isn’t the case, additional encryption tools can be installed to keep it more secure. Mobile devices also allow remote disabling and wiping software to be installed. All data can be erased from a device if an employee becomes aware of a phishing scam.Healthcare phishing scams are not going to end anytime soon. In fact, it?s likely that phishing scams will become more sophisticated as security measures increases. This is why it?s imperative for employees to have updated training on phishing scams. With proper crisis management training, healthcare employees can help stop data breaches that include private patient information by staying educated on preventative measures. Meanwhile, healthcare facilities should continue to improve their online security and encryption processes to stop hackers from obtaining sensitive information.

TAGGED:Patient InformationPhishing Scams
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Health careMobile Health

5 Key Healthcare Technology Predictions For 2019

April 12, 2019

Beware of Mobile Health Apps Making False Claims

November 21, 2012

ImmunoGenetix Discovers a Safer Approach To HIV Treatment

September 19, 2011
Image
BusinessSocial Media

HealthCare Marketing: Past, Present and Future

April 16, 2013
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?