The proliferation of digital healthcare systems has led to a higher level of patient comfort. But it has simultaneously created additional avenues for cybercriminals to exploit. If you have a healthcare business, you must ensure that your IT infrastructure protects sensitive patient data while delivering quality patient care and adhering to IT compliance regulatory guidelines.
A white label MSSP can offer you peace of mind by ensuring that your IT business complies with all the IT regulations laid out for small and medium businesses (SMBs).
Reason for Ensuring IT Compliance
As per data reported by HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, between 2009 and 2021, 4,419 healthcare data breaches of 500 or more records have been reported. Those breaches have resulted in the theft, loss, or unauthorized disclosure of 314,063,186 healthcare records.
Protected Health Information (PHI) is a patient’s most sensitive private data. It is also the most valuable asset for cybercriminals. That is why your IT business must ensure strict adherence to IT compliance. Not doing this can attract hefty fines and penalties.
Data Security Measures for Healthcare IT Compliance
Industry regulations like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), etc., provide exceptional guidelines that your IT business must follow so that your clients are in complete compliance with the healthcare IT laws.
Here are some of the top data security practices that IT firms must implement to save their private patient data from falling into the wrong hands:
- Restricted data access – Unauthorized access to confidential patient data can be the reason for the downfall of your IT firm. Deploying multi-factor authentication systems can help bolster healthcare data protection offered by your IT organization and grant privileged access to specific accounts only.
- Educate the staff – People remain one of the most common factors responsible for data breaches. Training your IT staff to counter cyber threats like phishing attacks or social engineering tactics can prove extremely useful in preventing disastrous consequences for your company.
- Implement data controls – Restricting data access is the first step. Monitoring the controls for malicious activities like exfiltration of data, unauthorized email sends, copying to external drives, etc., is also critical. Such actions should be flagged and/or blocked to protect data.
- Keep log files – According to HIPAA regulations, IT firms handling sensitive healthcare data must keep six years of log data for auditing purposes. SMBs may face challenges in keeping the log data secure and organized. However, a reputed white label managed IT service provider can help correctly store the log data under tight data security.
- Encrypt your data – One of the most reliable methods to prevent data breaches is encrypting your private data. White label MSSPs offer encryption solutions that encrypt the ePHI at rest and in transit when your IT firm handles it. This ensures exceptional protection from hacking attempts by malicious actors.
The Future is in Your Hands
By now, it’s clear what IT firms should focus on to ensure proper healthcare IT compliance. If your IT firm’s staff cannot manage it, outsource healthcare IT compliance to a white label MSP and remain free of worries.
Single Point of Contact is a White Label Managed Security Service Provider that provides a wide range of cybersecurity technologies and services. Our job is to keep your clients’ networks safe and secure by resolving potential security threats. With regular security monitoring and protection against cyber-attacks, we seek to help your clients attain peace of mind. Contact us today to discover more about how we can help protect your network from cyber-attacks.
