May 04, 2017

6 Important Ways to Prevent Data Breaches in Healthcare

Information thieves love health data– and they’re gunning for it again this year.

Knowing how to prevent data breaches in healthcare is increasingly critical. This year’s Data Breach Industry Forecast by Experian has predicted that healthcare will continue to be the most targeted sector. Thieves want healthcare data because it is worth a lot – each chart on an electronic health record (EHR) can sell for up to $50 each on the dark web, while a stolen credit card number might go for just $1 each.

Health information is also easy to exploit. Last year, the healthcare industry accounted for 88% of all ransomware attacks in the U.S. Because patient care is in jeopardy during a ransomware attack, ransoms are usually paid.

The 2016 Sixth Annual Benchmark Study on Privacy & Security of Healthcare Data by Ponemon showed that over the past two years the average cost of a data breach was more than $2.2 million. Nearly 90% of healthcare organizations in the study had a data breach in the past two years; nearly half had more than five.

Here's how to prevent data breaches in healthcare:

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