An Exploration of Healthcare Innovation: Balancing Safety and Security

Digital Innovation and Patient Outcomes

Digital innovation in the healthcare industry has had a profound impact on patient outcomes and accessibility to care. Through new technologies, patients can now actively engage in their own healthcare from any location. This transformation has not only improved the efficiency and productivity of healthcare professionals but also facilitated data-driven decision-making and coordinated care across various medical disciplines.

One of the key benefits of digital innovation is the utilization of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. These tools allow healthcare providers to derive crucial insights from vast amounts of healthcare data, leading to evidence-based decision-making, personalized treatment plans, predictive analytics for population health management, and contributions to clinical research and innovations.

Importance of IT Security in Digital Healthcare

As healthcare delivery increasingly relies on digital systems and innovations, it is essential for healthcare IT organizations to prioritize patient privacy and the security of electronic health and personal data. While the expansion of care locations beyond the traditional acute care setting has optimized patient-centric care delivery, it has also significantly increased the surface area that IT organizations must secure.

Healthcare IT professionals now face a set of security challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the safe implementation of digital healthcare. These challenges include:

Continuous Cybersecurity Threats

Due to the valuable personal and medical data stored in healthcare providers’ digital systems, cybercriminals are constantly targeting the healthcare industry. Their motives range from profiting through data theft to disrupting life-threatening care and even harassing healthcare leadership, professionals, and patients. The most common attack vector observed is phishing, which opens up opportunities for insider threats. Healthcare organizations must maintain comprehensive security measures to counter these threats.

Diversity of Connected Devices

Healthcare organizations operate a diverse range of connected devices, falling into three categories: devices managed by IT, devices managed by third-party business associates, and unmanageable devices. Having full visibility of all connected devices and their use is challenging in distributed care environments. Furthermore, implementing consistent security controls for this diverse set of connected devices is even more challenging. Cybercriminals can exploit connected devices as entry points, posing significant risks to the healthcare environment.

Distributed Applications and Workforce

Flexibility in healthcare delivery has enabled professionals to provide care from various locations. However, these distributed applications and workforce challenge traditional centralized security control models. The use of software-as-a-service (SaaS), hosted applications, and public cloud-resident applications further complicates security architecture. To leverage digital innovations securely, healthcare organizations require reliable connectivity and distributed security controls that provide appropriate access to patient data, applications, and services.

Focus Areas for Secure Digital Healthcare

Ensuring the security and safety of digital healthcare transformation is crucial. Organizations must adopt a proactive and preventive approach that allows control over all users, devices, applications, and data, regardless of their location. The following focus areas can help healthcare organizations achieve secure and safe digital transformation:

Implement a Zero-Trust Strategy

A zero-trust cybersecurity strategy should be adopted, which continuously inspects security and eliminates implicit trust. At every stage of digital interactions, trust should be continuously validated. This approach offers robust protection against emerging threats.

Secure all Connected Devices

All connected devices must be automatically identified, and their communications, configurations, associated risks, and utilization should be continuously monitored. Appropriate preventive security policies should be enforced to ensure the availability and security of all connected devices.

Enable Care Delivery from Anywhere

Secure access services edge (SASE) solutions should be implemented to allow healthcare professionals to securely access patient data and applications from anywhere. These solutions must prioritize the best digital experience for both clinicians and patients.

Protect all Applications and Data

IT departments should establish consistent visibility and control of applications and data, regardless of their location. Centralized security policies should be in place to safeguard applications and data from potential threats.

Ensure Regulatory Compliance

Healthcare organizations must continuously validate and achieve regulatory compliance. Automation and a proactive security approach can help organizations stay compliant and reduce the risk of breaches or non-compliance.

Maximize Integrations and Automation

Organizations should focus on integrated security platforms that provide automated outcomes. By automating security operations, healthcare organizations can optimize their use of resources and eliminate the risk of analyst burnout. Security should strengthen digital transformation efforts, accelerate safe digital innovation, and enhance the patient and healthcare professional experience.

Conclusion

As digital innovation continues to revolutionize the healthcare industry, maintaining strong IT security measures is paramount. This ensures patient privacy, protects against cyber threats, and enables the safe and efficient delivery of care. By prioritizing areas such as zero-trust strategies, securing connected devices, enabling secure access from anywhere, protecting applications and data, ensuring regulatory compliance, and maximizing integrations and automation, healthcare organizations can safeguard their digital healthcare transformation.