A data breach on medical records is very dangerous. It can affect thousands or even millions of people. How? And what do medical institutions and organizations need to do to avoid this?
Data Breach on Medical Records
Today, medical records are available online. This gives convenience and ease of access to the records for people seeking information about their medical history. However, this also makes records vulnerable to data breaches.
The biggest concern is that medical records are very sensitive. With just one piece of information, you can obtain access to a person’s full medical history. Medical records can be used in identity theft and fraudulent activities including insurance claims and billing.
This explains why a breach of medical records can affect a lot of people. In addition, if you don’t take precautionary measures, the breach could even affect your health as well as your loved ones.
What You Need to Do To Protect Your Medical Records
There are several measures you can take to protect your medical records from data breaches:
- Encrypt them. Institutions and organizations that store medical records need to encrypt them. Using the strongest encryption mechanism available including AES 256-bit encryption or higher is the best option. This will not only prevent hackers from stealing your information but also reduce the risk of a breach on the organization’s database.
- 2nd Factor Authentication. It will ensure that only authorized personnel will have access to your files. And no one else will be able to get into them without first getting approval from the authorized person who has access first. It is like setting up an account with two passwords; you need both passwords before you can log in and access the account.
- Don’t Store Sensitive Information. it is best not to store sensitive information such as Social Security number, home address, and phone number in your file. Because hackers can use this information for identity theft and other fraudulent activities including insurance claims and billing.
- Train Employees. It is also crucial to give employees proper training on security measures, especially those who will be handling your data. They need to know the possible risks and what to do in case of a breach.
- Keep A Backup Copy. Lastly, it is also important to keep a backup copy of your records. This will ensure that you can still access your records even if you already lost one or two copies of them.
Data Breach on Medical Records Prevention is Better than Cure
Data breaches on medical records can be tricky for both organizations and individuals. But we can prevent it from happening by taking the right measures and precautions. These include encryption and second-factor authentication, not storing sensitive information, and giving proper training and backup copies to employees and clients.
Also, it is important to note that you need to be wary not only of the data breaches in medical records but also of the breaches in any institution or organization. Because when these breaches occur, it can affect thousands or even millions of people.
