ADOWPArticle Directory on WordPress

This past year, corporations and consumers alike experienced an intense economic climate. Fraught with threats to global financial markets and personal financial security, companies and individuals were dealt additional blows when several of the largest data breaches in history occurred. Firewalls were penetrated, networks were hacked, malware infiltrated servers and web applications, and confidential records were compromised. A myriad of companies publicly and painfully experienced the challenges of data exposure.

Read more on The Current State of Affairs…

Security attacks and data breaches are on the rise and attacks are becoming increasingly subtle and sophisticated. Protecting critical assets is getting tougher for healthcare organizations.

In fact, every time we hear about a security breech, the entire industry – and individual users of healthcare (every one of us) is forced to focus on whether personal information is safe and secure. There is no choice. Healthcare entities must do more to better protect the security and confidentiality of patient health information and the increasingly connected healthcare networks.

Read more on The Key to Achieving HIPAA Compliance for Healthcare Organizations…

The Joint Commission (TJC) is an independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.

The TJC has recently updated and expanded its information management (IM) accreditation standards for healthcare organizations. New readiness standards for information management and IT risk management are requiring hospitals to rethink how they protect and secure sensitive information, audit, and improve continuity of operations and disaster recovery planning.

Read more on TJC IM Readiness Standards 101…

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 has fostered the use of electronic transactions, simplifying healthcare administration and reducing overhead.

However, the computerization of patient records has created an increased security risk from various sources, such as intrusion attempts, unauthorized internal access and other security attacks. HIPAA therefore mandates security measures be taken to protect sensitive data, ensuring that only patients and their healthcare providers have access to patient medical information. According to the Final Rule of the Act’s Health Insurance Reform: Security Standards, HHS states:

Read more on Patient Information – The HIPAA Challenge…

Mission Critical Systems for the Energy Industry

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems that collect and manage data across a large facility from a central computer, play a major role in the utility industry, helping to manage large and diverse information loads from power plants of all types. Inter-connectivity has made these systems increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Read more on New Threats to Utility SCADA Systems…

A 360 Degree Approach to HIPAA Compliance

An effective approach to meeting HIPAA security compliance requirements begins with a security management solution – one that enables real-time monitoring, compliance reporting and control management. Technology alone however, is not the answer. The best route to compliance is a 360 degree approach that integrates existing people, processes, and policies with technology. The foundation of a compliance solution for all healthcare organizations is an enterprise-class Security Information Management (SIM) solution.

Read more on Key Issues in HIPAA Security Compliance Management…

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has changed the healthcare information security landscape in the U.S. Compliance has become a critical issue for all organizations that come in contact with health information. Here is a summary the HIPAA basics.

Read more on HIPAA Compliance 101…

A fundamental benefit of HIPAA is that it encourages the wider use of electronic transactions, greatly simplifying healthcare administration and reducing administrative overhead costs.

Yet with the computerization of patient medical records, healthcare organizations face an increased security risk from various sources, such as unauthorized internal access, intrusion attempts, and other security attacks. HIPAA therefore mandates security measures be taken to protect this sensitive data, ensuring that only patients and their healthcare providers have access to patient medical information. According to the Final Rule of the Act’s Health Insurance Reform: Security Standards, HHS states:

Read more on HIPAA – Project Patient Information…