HIPAA_Secure Now

Let's debunk a common healthcare myth right now: you don’t need to be a tech guru or have a huge budget to protect your practice from cyber threats.

With a few simple, cost-effective cybersecurity strategies, you can strengthen your defenses and keep your patient data safe—all while staying compliant with HIPAA.

Especially in an OCR audit year focused so heavily on the Security Rule, taking steps towards at least a few of these strategies could save you from heavy fines and data breaches.

1. Implement Continuous, Flexible Training 🍎
Offer employees short, weekly trainings on their own schedule to promoting adoption and minimizing administrative burden. (Our new HSN Teams App does just that. 😉)

2. Conduct Simulated Phishing Campaigns 🪝
Take training to the next level by providing hands-on practice identifying phishing attempts and real-time feedback to promote a culture of accountability.

3. Implement Strong Access Controls 🔒
Require strong password policies, multi-factor authentication, and tailored permission levels.

4. Develop an Incident Response Plan 🚨
Define roles and responsibilities, document communication protocols, and perform regular tabletop exercises to stay prepared.

Which of these 4 are you prioritizing this audit year? 👇

A friendly reminder that not only is it an Olympic year, but also an OCR audit year! Is your healthcare organization going for gold?

1. Security Risk Management: outlines what will be completed to ensure appropriate risk management. Includes SRA, responding to work plan recommendations, audit reviews, SAT, etc.

2. Incident Response Procedure: outlines what should occur when you determine you have had a breach. Includes your Security Incident Response Team & what organizations need to be notified.

3. Disaster Recovery Plan: outlines what to do after an event (breach, natural disaster, etc.), to get your organization back up and running normally. Includes 3 main parts: defining the Security Incident Response Team, defining Critical Systems, and a plan for how the SIRT is going to navigate the Critical Systems.

4. Sanction Policy: outlines the appropriate response for when an employee doesn’t adhere to a policy/procedure. This can vary from coaching to different types of warnings.

5. Termination Policy: outlines how former employees’ access will be severed upon their departure.

We are rooting for you!!