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
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 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
    healthy nursing school habits
    Healthy Habits for Nursing Student Nursing School Students
    May 24, 2024
    High Deductables
    High-Deductible Insurance and Rising Bad Debt
    July 24, 2015
    How People Are Taking Advantage of Health Deals in the Recent Recession
    February 5, 2021
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    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
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Protected Health Information Security: You Should Be Worried
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 > Protected Health Information Security: You Should Be Worried
BusinessMedical RecordsPolicy & Law

Protected Health Information Security: You Should Be Worried

philcsolomon
Last updated: September 23, 2014 8:00 am
philcsolomon
Share
5 Min Read
Protected Health Information
SHARE

Protected Health InformationIt seems like every day, we hear another story in the news about a breach of security that caused personal health information and financial information to be lost or stolen by hackers and thieves.

Protected Health InformationIt seems like every day, we hear another story in the news about a breach of security that caused personal health information and financial information to be lost or stolen by hackers and thieves.

With the increasing incidences of healthcare related breaches, providers must become more diligent in securing protected health information (PHI).

The HITECH Act, implemented and enforced by HHS, CMS, and OCR, and recently updated and finalized in the HIPAA Omnibus Rule seems to be having a slight positive impact on security. Even though payers and providers have stepped up their game securing data; the risks for data loss are still present.

More Read

Calling for More Than an Ounce of Prevention
4 Little Known Health Concerns Facing the Elderly
Vatican Invests in Stem Cell Firm
Microsoft Aims to Transform Healthcare Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Are Physicians the Canary in the Coal Mine of Medicine

According to Redspin, a healthcare IT security firm, there has been an explosion of protected health information security incidents over the past five years. For example, the following is a summary of healthcare breach highlights from 2009 through 2013:

– 804 breaches of protected health information since 2009
– 29,276,385 patient health records affected by breach since 2009
– 7,095,145 patient health records breached in 2013
– 137.7% increase in the number of patient records breached in 2012-2013
– 85.4% of the total records breached in 2013 resulted from the 5 largest incidents
– 4,029,530 records breached in the single largest incident
– 83.2% of 2013 of patient records breached in 2013 resulted from theft
– 22.1% of breach incidents in 2013 resulted from unauthorized access
– 35% of 2013 incidents were due to the loss or theft of an unencrypted laptop or other portable electronic device
– 20% of protected health information (PHI) breaches have involved a business associate each year from 2009-2013

The Annual Report to Congress on Breaches of Unsecured Protected Health Information for 2011 and 2012 identified the type of breaches, the causes of data breach and the source of data breaches. They are listed in order as follows:

Breaching Entity
1. Providers
2. Business Associates
3. Health Plans

Causes of Data Breach
1. Theft
2. Loss of PHI
3. Unauthorized Access
4. Hacking/IT incident

Sources of Breach
1. Laptop
2. Paper
3. Server
4. Desktop Computer
5. Other Portable Device
6. Email
7. Electronic Medical Records
8. Other

Here are some steps to protect patient’s health records and data in your organization:

1. Provide security awareness and privacy education training for your staff
2. Review and update your physical security and access control policies
3. Update the controls to protect networks to ensure safeguards against unauthorized users accessing PHI through such mechanisms as:
– Computer auto-locking and screen saver locks
– Unique usernames and password protection
– Extensive logging of computing activity
4. Physical access controls that include, but are not limited to the use of:
– CCTV coverage 24×7
– Proximity badge access and logging controls
– Periodical review of access rights and reconciliation
5. Incident Response
6. Adherence of Red Flag Rules
7. Develop a comprehensive incident response program to ensure proper and prompt identification of potential threats to physical and data network
8. Train the staff on proper notification channels if patient information compromise
9. Perform internal quarterly security risk assessments to ensure ongoing compliance and gap remediation between evaluation periods
10. Contract with a third-party security firm annually to perform a security assessment

More entities are following the advice of experts and updating (or creating) their security risk mitigation strategies for protected health information to secure their data and prevent breaches from occurring in the future. Let’s hope the results in 2014 shows a decline of security events. If so, I think we’ll all sleep better at night.

TAGGED:HITECH ACTPrivacysecurity
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
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

You Might also Like

Medical DevicesPublic Health

Is The Future Of Injectable Drug Delivery In Needle-Free Devices?

January 28, 2019
meaningful use
Medical Records

Meaningful Use Stage 2 Changes Bring Big Differences to Record Release

March 5, 2012
medical education
BusinessFinanceHospital AdministrationMedical Education

Medicine Is a Profession, But Healthcare Is a Business

June 12, 2013
water poverty
Public Health

End Water Poverty

October 8, 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?