Preventative Medicine for Healthcare Technology

Doctors are busy keeping viruses away from their patients — but these days humans aren’t the only ones catching a bug. As technology takes a front seat in the development of modern medicine, there are now growing concerns for the safety of hospital networks and their digital data. A 2006 article from Fierce Health IT highlights security breaches of two healthcare organizations, a perfect example of the dangers of an increased digital presence.

Malware infections threaten the safety of patients and their personal information. Unfortunately, medical software is hard to protect and is often left vulnerable because of the difficulty in installing antivirus software on medical devices. Security researchers have been able to hack into devices ranging from insulin systems to pacemakers.

Wired Medical Devices on the Rise

To give you an idea of technology’s new influence on healthcare, Earl Reber, executive director, eProtex says, “As little as two years ago, we checked some hospitals and found that there was less than one networked clinical device per bed.”

According to Reber, now days it’s about three to a bed. It’s this very jump in networked dependence that has the medical IT world worried. Reber recently was able to discuss the state of modern healthcare IT at the Mobile Health Expo on June 21st.

Data Breaches and HIPAA

Other concerns healthcare professionals face include a common cultural gap between IT and clinical engineering as well as new penalties for data breaches set forth by HIPAA. In 2009, the rules and regulations were strengthened by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

According to the Better Business Bureau, “the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires that certain financial institutions as well as health care providers, or businesses that provide services to health care providers, notify patients and the government if the security of the personal information that they maintain is breached.” These rules are imperative because it’s not only the devices that are at risk but also the patient’s personal information.

Forerunners in Digital Prevention

There are a few possible options being explored for the future of medical network security:

• The implementation of rolling codes, a cryptography coding that is used in household devices such as garage doors.

• The use of body-coupled communication that uses the human skin as a wave guide for wireless communication.

Until these security precautions are taken, healthcare professionals must be aware and stay cautious of the risks of networked devices.

Luckily, there have yet to be any major malware attacks on the medical IT world. Device users can assess the risks and vulnerabilities at the HIMSS Medical Device Security Work Group’s Manufacturer Disclosure Statement for Medical Device Security.