Specialist debunks common cyber security myths for practice owners
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KOLOA, Hawaii — Specialists are responsible for protecting their practices from cyber attacks and should not rely solely on standard cyber security measures, according to a presentation at Hawaiian Eye 2023.
To help practice owners become more prepared for potential cyber security issues, Renee Bovelle, MD, debunked myths surrounding how practices should approach protecting themselves, which included combatting an overreliance on cybersecurity insurance as well as the incorrect assumption that third party electronic health record vendors are responsible for making their products compliant with HIPAA privacy and security rules.
“You may say, ‘I have a cybersecurity policy, so I don't have to worry if anything happens.’ Well, that is not the case,” she said.
Cyber security companies want their clients to have methods in place to prevent any breaches in cybersecurity; if practice owners cannot show evidence that they have met their cyber insurance company’s policies, their claims may be rejected, according to Bovelle.
This is especially important because some cyber security companies are growing more specific in their criteria for accepting clients to protect, with other companies more likely to follow this example.
Additionally, Bovelle recommended that practice owners refrain from offering WiFi access to patients, or to make sure that WiFi systems are “totally separate from your network” at the least.
Bovelle encouraged practice owners to “think of cyber security as a house” when building their practice’s cyber safety network, which includes creating a synchronized security system in which all safety tools and programs such as firewalls, network connections, endpoint and in-transit coverage and backup recovery tools interact with one other.
“You do everything you can to protect what you have in your house, and you should do everything you can to protect what you have in your records,” she said.
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Bovelle R. Cyber security: Is your practice prepared? Presented at: Hawaiian Eye 2023; Jan. 14-20, 2023; Koloa, Hawaii.
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