Hospital management seeking ways to protect patient records from cyber threats

Image Source: welivesecurity.com

An article published recently in The Boston Globe discussed the medical community’s growing concern regarding data breach from cyber attackers. This comes on the tail of the latest news of 4.5 million patient records from Community Health Systems (CHS) allegedly stolen by Chinese hackers. If proven true, this would be the largest breach of patient data to date. Supposedly, the hackers did not gain access to specific medical information, such as treatment procedures and types of illnesses. Nevertheless, personal information, such as names, addresses, birthdates, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers were accessed. CHS is treating this case as an HIPAA violation.

Image Source: healthitoutcomes.com

Criminals can use the stolen records to file fake insurance claims, get medical prescriptions, or sell Social Security numbers. What’s more, cyber hackers have developed sophisticated systems that bypass traditional security fail-safes. Most businesses have developed strategies to protect themselves from cyber threats, but the health industry has been lagging behind in terms of data security. This, perhaps, can be attributed to the general belief that certain areas are still held sacred by individuals or the fact that most hospitals are more concerned with delivering health care and not operational security. The growing number of theft and breaches nevertheless speak a different story.

To address this, management and administrative staff of health facilities are coming together to create better techniques to protect their records. Criminal intrusions mean not only a financial loss but represent the potential risk of misdiagnosis due to incorrect medical records. Health regulators urge staff members to make these improved procedures higher in their priority list. In the meantime, individuals are recommended to take extra measures to protect their own information and store a separate file of all their medical records.

Image Source: telegraph.co.uk

Dr. George Northrop, formerly of Danbury Hospital, is the current chief medical officer of the Sheik Khalifa General Hospital in Abu Dhabi. He has decades of experience in hospital management and administration. Like this Facebook page for more news and updates on the medical industry.

Medical malpractice cases: Knowing when to file

Image Source: attorneymalouf.com

Medical malpractice is when a doctor, healthcare professional, or medical facility causes harm to a patient through gross negligence or omission of pertinent information. Acts that directly result in a misdiagnosis or errors in treatment, aftercare, or management can be labeled as medical malpractice and should be forwarded to a legal firm for proper representation. Nevertheless, it is important to know basic characteristics of a malpractice casebefore proceeding with any legal action. These are as follows:

Violating standard of care. While this may vary from state to state, federal law states that there are certain medical standards that all professionals in this industry must follow. Patients have the right to the best possible care available in the area.

Negligence caused an injury. Patients must prove that they sustained an injury because of the direct actions of a health provider. It is not enough that a doctor or health facility provided an unfavorable outcome.

The injuries resulted in significant damages. Medical malpractice cases are typically very expensive. This is because they require several witnesses to come forward and discuss the actions of the specific doctor or health facility. Furthermore, the case is usually reviewed by other doctors who will state their expert opinion. Patients should provide evidence that the doctor’s specific actions directly caused any disability, impairment, loss of income, or any form of suffering or hardship.

Image Source: .medicalclaimsguide.com

Chief medical officers of hospitals such as Dr. George Northrop are usually called by legal firms to review malpractice cases and determine their validity. A great number of cases do not proceed because they lack the aforementioned characteristics, which further increases the stress to the injured patient. It is important patients gather all pertinent information regarding their experience so that justice can be served.

Image Source: northeast-nc.legalexaminer.com

Dr. George Northrop was once Danbury Hospital’s academic hospitalist and Obsidium Group’s medical-legal consultant. Today, he serves as chief medical officer at Sheikh Khalifa General Hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. For more information about Dr. Northrop career as a physician and hospital executive, visit this LinkedIn page.