Is Your Practice Prepared for Modern Generations?
Today, we have an abundance of technological advantages that put people ahead. The modern generations are raised with the internet and mini computers in their hands, with access to thousands upon thousands of research and data. How many times have you seen a patient that has one issue, but worsened by something else because “the internet said they had such and such a disease?” It happens. As more and more technological advances make their way into society, it’s important to ask yourself if you and your practice are ready to adapt? Are you ready to answer questions backed by self-interpreted online research? How can you adapt? What can you do with all this new technology? There are many things, such as…
Patient portals. These are probably one of the biggest steps an office can take when adopting technology into their workspaces. These portals give the patients one-hundred percent (100%) access to their medical files the moment they are logged into the shared system. This cuts out the need for a patient to look up a symptom and make conclusions of their own, because they can e-mail the doctor directly with questions or to set up an appointment.
Telemedicine. This one is more beneficial for patients who aren’t able to get to the doctor in person. Telemedicine is when a doctor can call or video chat a patient and make evaluations, diagnoses, and offer treatments at a distance.
Shared networks. Something as simple as a prescription used to take extra time before there was a way to digitally send it to the pharmacy. Most doctors now have the ability to sit in the same room with a patient, talk about a medication, and send in a request to your chosen pharmacy in a flash. There’s no more gripping onto the piece of paper, trying to read the notorious “doctor handwriting”. Having a shared network is also easy when making referrals; they can also be done in a second, rather than burdening an administrator with phone calls that took away precious time from other patients.
Technology’s advancements don’t have to be a burden for medical professionals; utilize it to make your practice run more smoothly and efficiently!
Seven Cybersecurity Statistics Every Healthcare Professional Should Know
Health centers and medical practices store a plethora of sensitive patient information. So, it’s no surprise that healthcare facilities are the number one target for hackers. Healthcare experienced upwards of 3 times more cyberattacks than any other industry (Cisco). Ignoring this threat is not a wise choice. If you still aren’t convinced that you need to check, and then recheck, your security protocols, here are seven more statistical examples of why you need to make this a priority right now.
- Healthcare is the top target of hackers, accounting for 41% of the total incidents that occurred in 2018. (https://www.beazley.com/news/2019/beazley_breach_insights_february_2019.html)
- Why hack? Hackers breach security mainly for financial gain. 86% of breaches were financially motivated in 2019. (https://enterprise.verizon.com/resources/reports/dbir/?cpur=1&#industries)
- 98% of IoT devices are unencrypted and unsecured. (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cybersecurity/83-of-medical-imaging-devices-operate-on-outdated-software-report.html)
- On average, healthcare organizations spent $1.4 million to recover from cyberattacks in 2018. (https://www.radware.com/ert-report-2018/)
- Six in ten healthcare IT professionals state that email was the most common security breach. (HIMSS Cybersecurity Survey)
- Electronic Health Records can be sold for as much as $50 each. In comparison, social security numbers sell for $1 on the black market. (http://www.illuminweb.com/wp-content/uploads/ill-mo-uploads/103/2418/health-systems-cyber-intrusions.pdf)
- 87% of healthcare IT leaders claim they lack the proper security personnel to protect information. (https://healthitsecurity.com/news/87-health-orgs-lack-security-personnel-for-effective-cyber-posture)
Hopefully, these stats make it crystal clear that you need to make cybersecurity a top priority at your health center. That’s why at Practice Management we implement security protocols such as penetration testing, data loss detection, and multi-factor authentication. Patient information is too important to leave to chance.
