Medical Billing Blog: Section - Security

Archive of all Articles in the Security Section

This is the archive containing links to all articles written in the Security section of our blog.

Click any of the article links below to read the entire article or browse another section to the right to read articles on another subject.

Week 2 of the Change Healthcare Cyber Attack

The cyber attack on Change Healthcare, reported to have begun on February 21, 2024, has been attributed to the Blackcat ransomware gang, also known as ALPHV. This incident has caused significant disruptions across the healthcare sector, affecting pharmacies and healthcare providers throughout the United States. The cybercriminal group is known for its “double extortion” tactic, where they encrypt the victim’s files and also steal sensitive data, demanding a ransom for both the decryption key and the non-release of the stolen data. In this case, there’s a possibility of a data breach, although it hasn’t been officially confirmed by Change Healthcare at this stage​​. Mandiant, Alphabet’s cybersecurity unit, is spearheading the

Published By: Melissa Clark, CCS-P | No Comments

Healthcare security compliance in the cloud

The “cloud” has almost become a buzzword in health IT, with many hospitals considering a shift to remote servers to reduce costs and improve scalability. However, some executives have hesitated, given the cyber-security implications of accessing protected health information through the internet. “It’s like online shopping,” Shaung Liu, chief technology officer of the provider division at Teladoc, said during a Microsoft-sponsored workshop at the Becker’s Hospital Review 3rd Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference Sept. 21 in Chicago. “When you first did online shopping nobody wanted to put their credit card in the cloud … you didn’t trust it,” he explained. “Now, everybody does.” Teladoc, a telehealth company that

Published By: Melissa Clark, CCS-P | No Comments

Cybersecurity Taskforce Issues EHR Security Recommendations

A healthcare industry cybersecurity taskforce recently submitted a report to Congress analyzing and addressing various issues with healthcare security including problems unique to EHR technology. The task force was initially convened in March of 2016 by HHS and consisted of members representing organizations ranging from hospitals to pharmaceutical companies. Throughout the year, taskforce members shared information regarding cybersecurity best practices, trends, threats, and general concerns regarding health IT safety. The task force also posted blogs encouraging the public to submit feedback and present ideas the taskforce could draw from when addressing requirements of the Cybersecurity Act of 2015. Ultimately, the taskforce devised the following six imperatives to increase current levels

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Study examines mobile technology use in U.S. hospitals

HIMSS Analytics has released its most recent 2017 Essentials Brief: Mobile Study, which provides an overview of the current use of mobile technology – specifically smart phones and tablets – in U.S. hospitals. Essential Briefs are market research studies focused on identifying salient topics in the healthcare IT space that highlight mind share, market share and market opportunity of specific healthcare software technologies. Health IT researchers from HIMSS Analytics examined the strengths and weaknesses of mobile technology use by U.S. healthcare organizations. To uncover areas that have the most promise for the healthcare market, participants were asked to provide thoughts on future needs to ensure further integration of smartphone/tablet mobile

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7 Things Your Governance Agreement Must Include

A governance agreement forms the foundation of how a practice’s board of directors is comprised, how it makes decisions and operates, and how it maintains authority. An effective agreement can get a practice through a partner disagreement, financial crisis, legal issue, or natural disaster. It’s a critical document no matter if your group has two or 200 physicians. Most practice governance agreements fall short on detail. Often they contain just the legal statements about board size and voting that are required to file the organization’s corporate documents. Add strength to yours by making sure it includes these seven essentials…   Continue reading the full article on Physicians Practice  

Published By: Melissa Clark, CCS-P | No Comments