And what about the risks associated with massive data leaks through hacking and other data breaches? Transparency and personal data controls are keys to creating a balanced and fair patient-centric digital data economy that promotes diverse and open competition. Patient control of access to their own data is needed for a number of reasons. First, it promotes data exchange across healthcare systems to assure access to critical health data wherever the patient may seek care.
Healthcare systems should be required to provide patients with their full medical record in electronic in a timely manner, and those systems who do not comply should be held accountable for data-blocking. If we assure patients control their data, it will allow them to choose healthcare systems or associated third parties, thereby redistributing data across the economy to allow smaller companies, who may be more ethical and have better solutions, to compete.
In addition, patients could allow researchers access to their personal data. Many researchers currently have trouble gaining access to data now in data silos created by industry purchases and other private sector agreements. Last, patients who are more engaged in their own healthcare tend to have better health outcomes overall, and patient data access allows patients to become more engaged in their own health.
When this Declaration was adopted in , the world had not yet imagined our new digital age. Recently, however, some prominent leaders who remember the excesses of totalitarian regimes, have started to work to sharpen public opinion and remind us that our privacy is indeed a basic human right. The right to privacy and control of data about our bodies is essential to preserving the dignity and respect of each individual, as well as trust in the medical community.
In the digital age, it will become the fiduciary duty of each doctor to protect the digital data privacy rights for each patient as a basic human right. We are entering a new technological era for healthcare where we must commit to new standards of patient data privacy, data use transparency, and personal data control. This can have a particularly bad effect on hospitals who house patients that are critically ill and in need of immediate care.
Hackers know that healthcare organizations are more desperate to minimize downtime than other businesses, which could better motivate them into paying a ransom. Many healthcare organizations are also running on an outdated or insecure infrastructure , which can make it easier for hackers to find network vulnerabilities. For instance, the increased immersion of Internet-of-Things IoT and other "smart" technology into healthcare are introducing a host of potential security gaps.
Healthcare organizations are bound by various data privacy regulations such as HIPAA to protect sensitive patient information. Data breaches can cause these companies to be in violation of regulations such as HIPAA, which can lead to a host of consequences ranging from financial penalties to criminal penalties in the case of especially egregious violations.
Data privacy should be a chief concern for healthcare companies if they wish to avoid non-compliance penalties and any subsequent reputational damage. To avoid these penalties, businesses need to thoroughly evaluate their network infrastructure and internal processes, especially when it comes to how employees handle sensitive information.
This can be done by working with their in-house IT department or a third-party managed IT services provider. Doctor-patient trust is crucial in building a successful healthcare practice. This trust can be broken when practices use platforms that sell patient data to advertisers and other large corporations.
When this trust is broken, your patients may be hesitant to open up about their own health details, especially when they think their doctor may not be working in their best interests. This can potentially harm a patient's health, as they may not receive accurate diagnoses without proper admittance of symptoms and medical history.
Data breaches can also break this trust , seeing as hackers will sometimes publish sensitive patient information that they steal online, especially for sale on the dark web. When this happens, organizations can suffer reputational damage as customers may lose trust in their ability to protect patient data.
Protect your practice's reputation and build customer trust by securing sensitive data within your network and thoroughly vetting the platforms and programs you use in the workplace by trying to avoid those who sell patient data whenever possible. Your employees are your weakest link when it comes to your practice's cyber security. You could have the best cyber security tools available on the market and your entire network could be brought down because one employee clicked on a phishing link or created a password that's easy to hack.
Training employees about cyber security best practices from the day they start work will help foster a culture of personal accountability. Workplace cyber security policies should include a few points. First off, be sure to include general points about how to stay safe when working online and in programs. This can include tips such as remembering to log out of computers when they're not in use or how to securely send sensitive information to other employees.
Tips on creating secure passwords should be an integral part of any employee cyber security policy, seeing as many people do not even realize that their passwords are weak. Imagine telling a friend one of your biggest secrets, and they decided to share it with everyone around you. This is an example as to why patient confidentiality is vital within the healthcare industry. When a patient has confidence and trust in their doctor, it will lead to more check-up visits and overall better medical information quality.
For example, if a patient feels comfortable with their physician, they will talk more freely about their health and any issues they may be having. This allows doctors to gather more accurate information about the patient, which results in them being able to provide the patient with quality healthcare services. This becomes especially important in youth. According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA , all of your health records and other medical information you have provided to any healthcare institution or professional, is confidential information.
Your medical records can only be shared with your consent, or for the safety of others.
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