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Posted July 27, 2020
Over the years, the healthcare industry has greatly benefited from new technologies and the use of digital devices that help improve service delivery. However, along with these benefits also come a myriad of challenges.
Such IoT devices come with additional endpoints to manage that expose health facilities to cyberattacks. As a result, the healthcare industry has emerged as one of the primary targets for cybercriminals. Health facilities face risks such as ransomware, which can cripple operations or theft of protected health information (PHI), which is then sold on the black market.
To curb such threats and ensure that patient information and service delivery is not compromised, there are cybersecurity regulations and compliance requirements that health facilities should observe. If you are in the healthcare sector, you’ve probably heard of HIPAA, one such regulation.
Though the health sector is now well aware of the threat cyberattacks present, only a few have the expertise required to protect themselves and how to comply with HIPAA.
Cybercrime can have devastating effects on health facilities. Any downtime puts patients’ lives at risk. This is why it is crucial to ensure that your facility has robust security protocols and is HIPAA compliant.
Read on to find out more about HIPAA and how you can ensure your patients’ data is secure and services are not disrupted.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a regulation that outlines the rules and best practices within the health sector to safeguard protected health information (PHI). The act stipulates that any organization that deals with PHI is required to have physical, network, and process security procedures, and observe them to be HIPAA compliant.
HIPAA covers entities that offer treatment, payment, and other services in the health sector. Other entities such as subcontractors or business associates that also have access to patient information are also required to comply with HIPAA.
One of the key elements of HIPAA compliance is risk assessment. This requirement was part of the original HIPAA privacy rules in 2003. However, it was bolstered in 2013 with the Final Omnibus Rule, which extended compliance and risk assessment regulations to business associates.
Without conducting risk assessments, complying with HIPAA rules is near impossible and exposes you to non-compliance fines. Fines issued vary depending on the severity of the breach or compliance levels. Most HIPAA fines fall under the ‘willful neglect’ category, which attracts steep penalties. An excellent example of this is the 5.5 million dollars fine, the Advocate Health Care Network faced.
With fines of such magnitude on the table, non-compliance can cost you your business.
When it comes to HIPAA compliance, there are many regulations to follow, and none has greater significance than the other. As such, the best way to ensure you are compliant at all times is to follow a HIPAA compliance checklist such as:
A patients’ PHI contains a lot of sensitive information. When such data falls into the wrong hands, it could have serious implications for you and them. On the patients’ side, exposure of such information may reach their relatives or employers without their permission. Hackers can also use such information to impersonate patients for fraud.
When such data is exposed, your facility will be liable and can face steep fines. As such, it is vital to adhere to all HIPAA rules. However, this is easier said than done. To achieve and maintain compliance, your team must be well aware of the steps needed to protect patient information.
This is why it is important to conduct regular staff compliance training for HIPAA. This can be best achieved by working with a reputable institution such as GreyCastle.
When it comes to HIPAA, it’s all about risk management, which involves identifying, controlling, and mitigating risks in the information system. To ensure clients’ systems are secure, GreyCastle uses a four-phase risk assessment approach.
The first phase involves scoping the system to understand its boundaries, criticality, and sensitivity in the following areas:
During this phase, systems are assessed to uncover vulnerabilities in terms of:
Also, an analysis of the current controls is also conducted to determine whether they are done according to practice, formalized and repeatable, or Non-existent.
Once the vulnerabilities are identified, the risk they pose to the organization is analyzed based on the threat of the source as well as their capability and motivation. This analysis also involves assessing the effectiveness of current controls and the level of impact on operations, finances, and the reputation of a company if the threat occurs.
To ensure clients’ data is protected, GreyCastle recommends controls to mitigate risk. These recommendations will be based on:
Once all the four phases of risk assessment are conducted, senior leadership will receive a report on the findings and recommended controls. This will assist with decision making on matters pertaining to budget and operations.
Primarily, HIPAA rules are designed as protective measures against increasing cyber threats. However, HIPAA goes beyond protecting information and into saving lives. If your security is breached, service delivery will be affected, thus putting patients’ lives at risk.
Are you looking for a cybersecurity company with experience in healthcare and HIPAA? GreyCastle Security helps organizations achieve HIPAA compliance through risk assessments and staff training. Reach out to GreyCastle Securitytoday to achieve HIPAA compliance.
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Ho Chin is Chief Financial Officer at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Ho leads Finance, HR, IT and Professional Development. As part of the executive leadership team, Ho works to establish the company’s overall strategy and ensure proper execution of the supporting initiatives pertaining to the above areas of responsibility.
Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Ho led finance and administrative functions at multiple private equity and venture-backed portfolio companies across multiple industries. Ho holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University in Centre County, Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dan Kalil is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Chairman at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Dan provides vision, leadership and strategies that drive GreyCastle Security’s position as an industry leader. With an emphasis on customer success, Dan’s profitable growth model leverages a customer-centric business approach that balances employee wellbeing and social responsibility.
Prior to becoming CEO, Dan served as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, during which he supported multiple acquisitions and helped the organization achieve substantial sales growth. In addition to serving as CEO at GreyCastle Security, Dan continues to hold the position of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Assured information Security (AIS) in Rome, New York, a company he co-founded in 2001.
Over the course of the last 22 years, Dan has been committed to advancing the state of cybersecurity and has played an instrumental role in the identification and development of critical, next-generation cyber capabilities. He has held positions in almost every facet of cybersecurity, beginning as a computer forensic examiner and progressing through the management and executive leadership ranks. In addition to co-founding AIS, Dan has facilitated multiple cybersecurity startups, raised investment capital and has served in various lead and support roles toward the acquisition of five companies in the last eight years.
Dan has a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and a master’s degree in Cybersecurity from Utica College in Utica, New York.
Michael Stamas is an entrepreneur, board member, Vice President and a founder of GreyCastle Security. With more than two decades of experience in the technology sector, Mike pairs his management and business development skills with a deep understanding of cybersecurity. Mike brings a unique brand of risk-based advising to GreyCastle clients and prospects.
Mike holds certifications in numerous security and technology related areas, including the Department of Homeland Security and other security technologies like Symantec, Cisco and Microsoft.
Mike plays an active role in his community and serves as a board member and Vice President of InfraGard Albany as well as an advisory board position with the Capital Region YMCA.
Mike has been recognized for his numerous achievements through various honors including the Albany Business Review’s prestigious 40 Under 40 award.
Dan Maynard serves as GreyCastle Security’s Chief Operating Officer, where he currently leads Sales, Marketing and Legal.
Dan has enjoyed a 30+ year career in the Information Technology and Telecommunications industry, during which time he has held various leadership positions for organizations such as Rochester Tel/RCI, Citizens Communications (Frontier), PAETEC Communications, IntegraOptics, tw telecom/Level3 and Centurylink.
In addition to various voice and data technology platforms, he possesses a strong background in leadership development, sales and marketing leadership, transformational leadership and strategic planning. Dan has a thirst for knowledge and as a committed lifelong learner, he encourages and supports professional development initiatives for his teams and continues his involvement with Vistage International.
Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he was selected as a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
When not at work, Dan enjoys traveling, golfing, attending Utica Comets hockey games and relaxing in the Adirondacks on beautiful Canada Lake with family and friends.
Dan Didier is the Vice President of Solutions and board member at GreyCastle Security.
Dan has been a cybersecurity practitioner for more than 20 years and uses his knowledge and experience to develop cybersecurity solutions that ensure readiness and preparedness.
Dan received his bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New York, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a master’s degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.
Our Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) have responded to hundreds of breaches, intrusions, malware infections, thefts, employee investigations, fraud cases and other incidents. Our highly-certified experts have extensive experience in command, coordination and correction of incidents in nearly every industry throughout North America, from local businesses to Fortune 500 international conglomerates.
800-403-8350Francesca LoPorto-Brandow is Director of Culture at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Francesca leads all social responsibility efforts and partnerships and develops effective strategies that promote organizational-wide behaviors and attitudes consistent with a culture of safety, inclusion, teamwork, motivation and high-performance.
Prior to this role, Francesca was Director of People & Culture at GreyCastle and with her leadership, the company’s culture has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as a Nationally recognized Best Workplace, Albany Business Review Best Places to Work and Albany Times Union Top Workplaces.
Before joining GreyCastle Security, Francesca worked as an OD consultant and focused on strategic culture change at The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. for more than six years. There, she facilitated client education sessions, coached leaders and teams, developed and executed consulting interventions and served as strategy project leader on various client engagements. Her work has taken her into Fortune 100 companies and across borders including Panama, Singapore and beyond.
Francesca is a Lean Six Sigma–certified Green Belt, a proud YWCA-GCR board member and in 2013, she coordinated and emceed the inaugural TEDx Troy—a livestream of TEDCity 2.0. Since 2012, she has coordinated and emceed the Troy 100 Forum, a biannual forum for government, religious and community leaders to discuss issues vital to the future of Troy, New York.
Bilingual in English and Italian, Francesca holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Technology from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management & Technology. She was awarded Cybersecurity Recruiter of the year North America in 2017 by the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.
Jamie Aiello is Senior Vice President of Services and Product Management at GreyCastle Security. In this position, Jamie is responsible for leading a high performing and well-balanced team that is ultimately responsible for the identification, selection, execution and successful performance of our company’s diverse portfolio of cybersecurity offerings.
Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Jamie has held leadership positions with Annese and Associates, ConvergeOne and BlueSky IT Partners with a focus on delivering cost effective information technology solutions for companies across multiple verticals.
Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, a master’s degree in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina and a master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona.
