Navigating Healthcare Data Security: 4 Considerations

In an age where our identities, both professional and personal, are instantly accessible online, digital trust is a must. The healthcare sector is one of the top industries threatened by data breaches, and due to the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the consequences of data breaches can be more severe than for other organizations. This means your organization urgently needs security measures to verify and protect its data. 

For staff members who handle sensitive patient or staff data, data security is a top priority. This guide will help demystify the key considerations for navigating healthcare data security.

Invest in secure software

Healthcare data is highly sensitive by nature, as it includes everything from patient medical histories to employees’ social security numbers. Because this data is commonly hosted on software, such as electronic health record (EHR) systems, secure tools are the foundation for healthcare data security. 

The right platforms not only streamline your workflows but also protect essential information. To select and invest in secure software, you should:

• Choose a reputable vendor: Look for vendors that prioritize security and compliance
• Update software regularly: Address security vulnerabilities by keeping your software up to date
• Look for enhanced security features: Seek tools that include data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and regular security audits

Don’t limit your search for secure software to patient management systems — the digitization of the healthcare sector applies to your workforce, too. Staff members should be able to manage and share their credentials while knowing that they are protecting their information. Additionally, look for solutions that protect staff members’ workflows, including features like secure password managers and messaging systems.

Minimize data collection

A typical hospital produces 50 petabytes of data per year, which includes clinical notes, lab tests, and mass quantities of other highly confidential patient information. To minimize the risk of data exposure, start by only collecting necessary data. 

Organize your database and implement strategies to minimize future collection with the following steps:

• Take inventory: Consider the current state of your database and what types of data you collect. 360MatchPro recommends selecting a representative data sample from various categories of data to identify common issues in large datasets, such as repetitive or outdated information.
• De-identify data: Remove or alter personal identifiers from a dataset where possible to prevent tracing the data back to a specific individual. For example, you might mask patients’ birth dates and addresses while retaining their medical information for analytical purposes. This information could be re-linked to the patient if necessary with the proper authorization.
• Set purpose limitations: Collect data for only predetermined purposes and inform data subjects, such as employees or patients, why you need the information. Also, ensure that unnecessary data isn’t saved. Once data serves its purpose, securely delete or de-identify it.

While data collection is essential to making informed decisions, your team's method has the power to maintain the security and integrity of sensitive information. 

Verify information

Along with balancing data retention to keep only necessary information, your team should also verify your data’s authenticity to maintain accurate and secure records. This may involve implementing data validation checks or using third-party verification services to confirm the accuracy of critical information.

To verify the accuracy of your data:

• Use data monitoring tools: Explore a healthcare data platform or data monitoring tool that streamlines data entry, organization, and validation. These tools may also facilitate access restriction, making it easier to implement internal controls.
• Leverage verification technology: Effective technology ensures data integrity by automating the confirmation of data authenticity and deterring fraudulent activity. Verifiable credentials, for example, inherently establish trust by confirming their validity without the need for manual checks.
• Cross-reference different data sources: Compare your information across multiple sources, both internal and external, to identify any discrepancies. For example, check data against EHRs or insurance claims to ensure consistency.

Verification is especially important when it comes to managing employee information. Authenticating the skills, knowledge, and credentials of your team plays an important role in ensuring you deliver the highest quality of care possible. For example, a university’s Faculty of Medicine may use verifiable credentials to confirm medical students’ pre-qualifications and conduct background checks on medical staff.

Implement strong internal controls

Data security measures must be consistent across your team. Otherwise, your approach will become disorganized, risking data mismanagement, exposure, and breaches. To ensure your team is on the same page, implement strong internal controls, which may include policies, procedures, and practices that protect sensitive data from misuse. You can do this by:

• Outlining data use policies: Establish clear guidelines your team should follow when interacting with sensitive data so everyone in the organization follows consistent practices. These policies should outline expectations for data handling, storage, and sharing.
• Staying up to date with compliance requirements: Arcadia's predictive analytics guide notes that strict data security measures are the key to maintaining patient trust and complying with industry standards, such as HIPAA. Host training sessions or refresh sessions to familiarize your team with the standards outlined in the act.
• Enforcing role-based access controls (RBAC): Restrict employee access to data necessary for their specific roles to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information. Document the process of assigning permissions to certain roles so that any changes in privileges can be appropriately addressed.

Provide ongoing training to ensure employees are well-versed in these standards and equipped to respond to security threats. Along with your policies and expectations, share data security best practices and emerging threats. This will prepare your team for tackling any potential security issues and equip them to take leadership over proper data management. Plus, it’ll bolster the confidence of patients and other constituents who depend on your organization to take data security seriously.

Since the cybersecurity landscape is ever-evolving, your healthcare organization’s policies and practices should adapt to it. Look for ways to continuously improve your approach and strengthen your team’s protection of sensitive data. By staying proactive and vigilant in healthcare data security, you’ll effectively protect patient information and maintain compliance with regulatory standards.

About the Author

Mike Doane - Director, Content Marketing

Mike Doane is the Director of Content Marketing at Arcadia, a data platform for leading healthcare organizations, where he owns inbound marketing strategy, editorial, and content channels, and leads a talented team of writers, content producers, and marketers. Mike holds a B.A. in Classics from the University of Maryland.