What Is The Importance of Encryption In The Healthcare Industry?

As we are going digital, the data and information are piling in daily! The increasing data is offering good business chances; however, is becoming a soft target for cyberattackers and cybercriminals.

As a result, the world governments are giving their 200% on implementing the best security standards, privacy, and protection regulations, whatever the industry is. Data encryption, data management, data security is the need of the hour. 

To give security to information and data, encryption is the best technique that offers the most robust protection to data by encoding it such that no one can access the data except the authorized parties and individuals.

Basically, if an attacker tries to steal the encrypted data, he/she will fail because the servers won’t allow an attacker to access data without encryption keys. Any organization or company using data encryption will always remain in a win-win situation.

According to our healthcare industry analysis on the seriousness of securing data, information, and healthcare records, we see a noticeable change in the healthcare industry trends as the medical facilities start using encryption, data protection, and security.

Today, in this blog post we will talk about the importance of encryption in the healthcare industry, the requirement of data protection, and the HIPAA encryption rule.

But, first, let’s check some - 

Cyber Attacks Weakening Healthcare Organizations!

In the last 5 years, healthcare organizations have become an easy target of hackers and cyber attackers. Between 2015 to 2019 the attacks on healthcare organizations increased by 320%.

Most of the attacks were data breach activities by hackers who have an interest in accessing private information to commit identity theft or money heist.

“In 2017, there were around 333 data breach attacks on hospitals, clinics, the healthcare insurance companies, and other custom healthcare software development.”

Not only data breaches but many cybercriminals use malware, ransomware to make quick money by putting hospitals into a desperate state to access their own health records for treating patients properly.

“WannaCry Ransomeware attack in the UK took down 48 hospitals in 2017 and attackers demanded $300 in bitcoin. And hospitals paid the ransom in order to treat their patients.”

At that time $300 in bitcoin means $540,000!

Such a heavy amount and the mistake is that the healthcare network in the UK wasn’t encrypted, secure, and protected. Still, if you doubt the importance of data protection especially in healthcare, then the next stat will amaze you because

“88% of cyberattacks in the USA are done on healthcare organizations.”

Once a cybercriminal steals information, he/she can sell it on the dark web. Additionally, if they have data of millions of people, they will take only minutes to expose your private information causing you personal distress while committing identity theft. 

This problem will only get worse if we don’t implement proper healthcare encryption standards, data protection guidelines, and security measures in the healthcare industry.

The message is out loud and clear - 

“A poor data governance in the healthcare industry can put both company and individuals in jeopardy."

That’s why it is very important for us to understand -

HIPAA and Its Role!

HIPAA’s goal to protect patients' information is almost 20 years old. In the last 20 years, several laws have changed especially, for electronically recorded and stored information.

The HIPAA security rule encryption is explicitly required for a risk assessment and tells to encrypt data and devices.

"At the end of the day, if anyone chooses not to scramble ePHI, it needs to record and legitimize that choice and afterward execute an "equal elective measure."

It is simpler to sympathize with these associations when one considers the commitments under behemoth bits of enactment like HIPAA and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). 

Not sending encryption strategies for the most part doesn't come from a position of obstinate misbehavior, yet rather a misconception of commitments combined with little IT groups and spending plans.

Read Also - Impacts Of Wearable Technology On Healthcare Automation Industry

It is important that encryption execution determinations in the HIPAA Security Rule isn't needed and should be founded on hole investigation from a HIPAA Risk Assessment. 

Not all associations are prepared to play out an appropriate danger examination, and therefore, leave secured wellbeing data (PHI) presented to potential cybercriminals. 

Investigating the business uncovers that most medical care laborers don't get into this profession to think about convoluted Internet security conventions.

How to Use Encryption Effectively?

Weather data is in motion (in use) or at rest (in storage), it must remain encrypted. Encrypted data will not be accessed by unauthorized people or parties.

And to encrypt data properly, you need to follow some tips below:

• Keep conducting a regular data security checkup, data breach risk assessment. This will help you to know the benefits of encryption.
• The healthcare industry must use extensive IT systems and infrastructures to prevent cyber attacks and increase the security and privacy of your data.
• Furthermore, to prevent healthcare data for your and patient purposes, hospitals and medical facilities can use personal devices, software, and automated tools that guarantee the best end-user experience.
• For better encryption, you must have encryption keys and each successive security layer. Also, there must be mandatory encryption on user devices
• Use appropriate encryption decryption technology without making the network slow and inefficient.

If you are thinking that only encryption can help you to make your healthcare data private and secure, then don’t only depend on it. Use the best firewalls, attack, and intrusion protection systems. Always be in contact with a data center.

With the right technology and HIPAA compliant encryption software, you can protect against data breaches and data, data theft, data steal, data decryption in the healthcare industry.

Finally, What is Needed?

In other industries, encryption is the main core technology and we can see it happening in the healthcare business too. In the future, patients’ medical records will be made more securely keeping cyberwarfare scenarios in the mind. 

Healthcare organizations need to establish trust among their users. It is because in the USA 80% of people leave a brand after any sort of data breach. Once a patient believes that the healthcare organization can’t keep the data secure, they lose the faith in that brand.

An organizational reputation in the healthcare industry clearly depends on data encryption, data protection, and data security. 

Thus, keeping data safe in healthcare is very important!