In the information technology community, when rules change it means that companies have to adapt to the rules while still staying ahead of the game and competitors. This is especially true when talking about IT security in the healthcare field.
Trying to keep ahead of the rules and regulations is especially hard when dealing with HIPAA rules, because not being compliant with these rules can mean the difference between running a successful endeavor and no longer being able to be in business.
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Using the cloud has been a way that healthcare professionals have been able to adapt and stay ahead of the technological curve. A new omnibus HIPAA rule change is going to bring more audits of the healthcare field and the security that is used to protect healthcare information. These new rules will also bring more stringent penalties should healthcare companies not be able to get certified.
Parham Eftekhari, EVP Research, HealthTech Council, talked about why HIPAA might be looking to take a more strident stand when it comes to security in the healthcare field. “As healthcare organizations rush to adopt new technologies, security often takes a back-burner which causes near and long-term problems in managing risk. With penalties in the recent Omnibus up to $1.5 million per violation, it is critical healthcare executives understand how IT deployments create risk, and what they can do to mitigate their exposure.” Eftekhari said.
Healthcare companies are going to have to take a more direct approach to protecting themselves and their patients, even if that means that they can’t adapt to new technology as fast as they might like. Regulatory authorities actually had this kind of slowdown in mind when they talked about introducing these new rules. Companies are going to have to be more aware of the decisions they make when it comes to IT security moving forward.
Edited by
Brooke Neuman
