Even pre-COVID, telehealth was fast-growing in popularity, thanks to how it broke barriers that might otherwise stand between individuals and health care they need. The rapid adoption of telehealth post-COVID is a positive change amid so much disruption and challenging new business and healthcare dynamics. However, patients are embracing the shift to digital with trepidation.
Patients are bombarded with media headlines of video call hijacks or "zoombombing" privacy concerns. Whether or not the fear of these risks to their medical privacy are overblown or reflect reality is irrelevant. If they don’t feel protected, they are right to be concerned about their healthcare. So, what additional steps should telehealth providers take to secure their systems?
If you rely on any third party sources with patient data or how patient data is transmitted, then care must be taken to ensure they are reliable and trustworthy. Good endpoint security means checking that your platform provider is compliant with HIPAA, for instance. Vet any proposed platform providers about existing security methods, past breaches, whether or not they have encryption for data transfers, and more.
Telehealth often relies deeply upon remote workers. As such, thorough remote access protocols must be put in place to make sure they provide multi-point authentication and that they are only given access to the data most relevant to their role. Strong application security is essential for any platforms that make use of the electronic health care records, such as endpoint encryption for data retrieved from or sent to those critical apps.
Any employees working with telehealth or electronic health record applications must be taught about privacy and security concerns. End-user training to reduce the risk of data breaches, as well as compliance training, are both mandatory. There should also be automated checks and enforcements of policy compliance within the telehealth platforms where possible.
By working with a highly skilled IT security team with experience in healthcare, such as Emerge, telehealth service providers can ensure active breach defense by putting in place good user monitoring and detection practices. This can involve, for instance, using log systems to identify any patterns of behavior that might indicate out-of-the-ordinary use of apps and data. By being able to more quickly pick up on abnormal behavior, IT security teams can identity and shutdown breaches more effectively.
Out-of-date software creates a significant vulnerability in any system that makes use of it. Timely patching and updating of systems is an essential part of network security. There are new digital threats, such as new malware, continuously being developed. As such, any telehealth security officer needs to be constantly updating to prevent those threats from causing a breach, too.
A full network, endpoint, and application security approach needs to be developed to ensure your telehealth environment is secured. Patients must have peace of mind for telehealth services to continue to be a viable mainstream option. Peace of mind starts with the right IT team, call Emerge at 859-746-1030 today to learn more how we can secure your telehealth environment.