Data Security The Safeguard of Patient Health...

The safeguard of patient health information and consumer information is effectively and sufficiently guarded is the upmost importance to any organization. Information security is important because it the law. Any deficiency of an effective information security program can be costly to an organization and be detrimental to patients and consumers. Organizations must be aware of the growing opportunities for breaches in security as technology is advancing is making the collection, maintenance, and dissemination of protected health information easier (Sayles, 2013). The following two security breaches will identify threats, and provide a security plan for the organization. The first security breach case is of Affinity Health Plan. A†¦show more content†¦Besides the hefty penalty, the settlement includes a corrective action plan requiring Affinity to use its best efforts to retrieve all hard drives that were contained on photocopiers previously leased by the plan that remain in the possession of the leasing agent, and to take certain measures to safeguard all electronic protected health information. The second security breach case is of Barnes Noble. In September 2012, hackers stole credit card information of customers who shopped at sixty-three Barnes Noble stores across the United States, which included New York City, San Diego, Miami and Chicago. The company discovered customer information had been stolen but kept the incident quiet per the request of the Justice Department so the F.B.I. could find out who was behind the intrusion (Huffington Post, 2012). The information was stolen by hackers who broke into the keypads in front of registers where customers swipe their credit cards and enter their personal identification numbers (PIN). The company acknowledged the security breach, and announced as a precaution, customers who used their cards at any of the sixty-three Barnes Noble where information wasShow MoreRelatedHealthcare Facilities Should Implement Safeguards On Data Information1340 Words   |  6 PagesInformation security so important in healthcare because being able to share data digitally holds a lot of potential for doctors, nurses and clinicians to send and receive content fast and effectively. Although this is a great thing, on one hand, it is also dangerous because patient data and other sensitive information are even more at risk of being stolen, exposed or accessed by unauthorized parties. Because of this, security must be a top priority for any medical organization today and for theRead MoreThe Security And Privacy Of Health Information751 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Privacy of health information has become an area of emphasis across the healthcare industry. It is important to understand what data is protected under federal regulations, how it can be shared, and how to prevent any accidental exposure of protected data. It is possible that data that should be protected can be exposed without anyone even realizing a violation has occurred. Exposure of protected healthcare data can result in medical identity theft and is therefore a very importantRead MoreChallenges With Educational Programs Essay1000 Words   |  4 Pagesonly the care and treatment of patients - it is adhering to policy, procedure and workflow processes to ensure the privacy, security and confidentiality of individuals goes beyond care in every capacity. The content of information is sensitive and is the providers and other healthcare workers responsibility to safeguard the information they receive and used to determine diagnosis, treatment plans. Patients want to feel comforta ble and trusting with their information especially in the electronic worldRead MoreEthical Ethics And Ethical Hacking968 Words   |  4 Pageshacker. â€Å"A hacker is an individual who intends to gain unauthorized access to a computer system† (Laudon Traver, 2015). Oxford Dictionaries defines an ethical hacker as â€Å"a person who hacks into a computer network in order to test or evaluate its security, rather than with malicious or criminal intent† (Ethical Hacker, n.d.). In other words, an ethical hacker aims to discover if any vulnerabilities exist in the system so the vulnerabilities can be fixed before a malicious hacker can exploit them.Read MoreBenefits Of An Ehr For Medical Records1557 Words   |  7 Pagesto access their medical records, data has been put into place showed that the general population knows that having an EHR would be beneficial (Thede, 2010). Research has suggested that patients, providers and insurance companies have benefited from EHRs b ecause insurance companies do not have to pay for duplicate testing as well as patients and providers having the ability to increase the quality of care that is provider (Thede, 2010). Not to mention, the patients aren’t pained to have to rememberRead MoreThe Importance of Health Information Privacy Bill of Rights1110 Words   |  5 Pagesdiminished rights of patient privacy. Kam (2012) states that an attorney specializing in patient rights James C Pyles complained that an individual has greater privacy rights regarding the size of a shirt you purchased online than you do about information in your mental health records under the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, issued by the White House in February 2012 Pyles consequently is pushing a forthcoming Health Information Privacy Bill of Rights that will provide patients the same degree ofRead MoreHipaa Compliance And Technology Use Essay942 Words   |  4 PagesHIPAA compliance and technology use: In 1996 when Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted HIPAA compliance and the use of technology was not given that much importance as it is today. Only small percentage of people owned mobile phones twenty years ago which didn t have a lot of capabilities of communicating except the basic text messaging. Twenty years later the mobile device technology is much advanced and has much more capabilities and much faster than imaginedRead MoreSimilarities Between Video 5 And Video 7 Essay1712 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many similarities and differences within the health care system, specifically when it comes to Electronic Health Records (EHR) and its privacy. According to the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Serv ices, â€Å"an Electronic Health Record is an electronic version of a patient s medical history, that is maintained by the provider over time, and may include all of the key administrative clinical data relevant to that person s care under a particular provider, including demographics, progress notesRead More Patients Rights and Access to Medical Records Essay1015 Words   |  5 PagesPatients Rights and Access to Medical Records The confidentiality of patient visits and medical records are essential in providing the highest quality of health care. Under penalty of law, a patients medical records or any other information regarding the patient may only be released with his or her authorization. Exceptions to this are certain cases specified by law for example, health care providers are required to report certain communicable diseases such as measles. Many organizationsRead MoreInformation Security in the Healthcare Industry1562 Words   |  6 PagesInformation Security in the Healthcare Industry The rapid changes in technology over the past few decades has left the healthcare industry ill-prepared to operate in today’s environment. Most substantial protections of sensitive consumer information has come as a result of federal regulation, most notably in 1996 with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Protection of information in the healthcare industry has