Codman Square Healthcare in Dorchester Mass. posted Sept. 23 of
2016, that they were notifying patients of a data breach that took
place back in July, and that their HIE was accessed without
authorization.
Patients’ privacy should never be at risk or compromised and I think
the breach could have been prevented by having two-factor
authentication, conduct assessments of an HIE before one is chosen,
and check for vulnerability over and over again. There are physical,
organizational, and administrative safeguards that comply with
HIPPA. By having such a problem to this magnitude, this data breach
could have caused severe problems for the patients and facility.
Patients could have been subject to necessary medical attention,
identity theft, and could have cost the facility millions. This breach
could have also cause loss of trust or confidence from patients. The
fact that the breach happened in July but the article wasn't posted
until September was very untrustworthy.
Although it is costly to install and keep the best security systems
updated and train the best IT techs, it is very necessary. Maintaining
a secure HIE is mandatory. The NEHEN broke so many HIPPA laws,
legally and ethically. They did not protect patients’ information. The
breach affected over 3, 840 patients. I think the best way to handle
this would be to implementing the 7-step approach for implementing
a security management process. Also always audit and monitor your
systems. and most importantly. Keep them updated.
