by medicaltechont | Oct 15, 2016 | e-Health, Ontario, OntarioMD, Privacy
Interesting article written in the Huffington Post this week regarding EMR and changes in the medical software landscape. Seems that there is a lot being written on the potential use of patient data. As quoted in the article “value assessment of Ontario’s digital health assets and all related intellectual property and infrastructure.” This is starting to make some question the long term plans for your personal medical data in Ontario.
Is Selling Your Health Data The Liberals’ Budget-Balancing Plan?
Last week, Ontario’s Liberal Government announced plans to consider monetizing the data stored by eHealth Ontario. In an open letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Business Adviser Ed Clark, Health Minister Eric Hoskins asked him to do a “value assessment of Ontario’s digital health assets and all related intellectual property and infrastructure.” Additionally, he asked that Clark look at ways to “maximize the value of these assets.“
This type of data is a treasure trove for private businesses and would be worth a lot of money to them. Just look at how Facebook has been able to monetize the personal information it has stored on all its “friends.”
But wait, isn’t your personal health data stored at your physician’s office, not at eHealth?
Read more online at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sohail-gandhi/ehealth-monetization_b_12431972.html
by medicaltechont | Oct 8, 2016 | eHealth, Privacy
The cash-strapped provincial government wants to cash in on the patient data collected by eHealth Ontario without compromising privacy or privatizing record-keeping.
The cash-strapped provincial government wants to cash in on the patient data collected by eHealth Ontario without compromising privacy or privatizing record-keeping.
With the controversial electronic health agency’s 10-year mandate expiring at the end of 2017, Queen’s Park is looking at what’s next for eHealth.
Health Minister Eric Hoskins on Friday asked Premier Kathleen Wynne’s privatization guru, Ed Clark, for help “in valuing public and private assets with respect to Ontario’s digital health strategy.”
“I would ask you to provide the government with a value assessment of Ontario’s digital health assets and all related intellectual property and infrastructure,” Hoskins wrote in an open letter to Clark.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/10/07/liberals-want-to-know-cash-value-of-ehealth.html
by medicaltechont | May 14, 2016 | Canada, Privacy, Security, Technology
Ransomware is one of the fastest growing areas of cyber crime. The intended target is often small and medium sized businesses, because they have fewer resources compared with larger organizations. Historically, the root word ransom refers to a criminal demanding a payment in exchange for releasing someone or something that has been taken.
Read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/matthew-held/5-ways-to-protect-from-ransomware_b_9872320.html
by medicaltechont | Apr 27, 2016 | eHealth, EHR, hackers, Privacy, Security, Software
The growing concern with ransomware attacks at hospitals is provisionally a healthcare IT problem, but as the number of such attacks grows, it will quickly become a financial one as well.
Just a single ransom sum has been disclosed: Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles paid the equivalent of about $17,000 in bitcoin to free up its computer systems last month.
That may not have been a wise move: Steve King, chief operating officer with Netswitch Technology Management, a Northern California consulting firm that focuses on healthcare IT and security issues, told me last month that paying ransoms would set a precedent that would embolden hackers looking for paydays.
“The more they comply with these ransom demands, the more frequently we’re going to get these kinds of attacks,” King told me. He suggested it might be preferable for some hospitals to simply replace their existing IT systems than succumb to ransoms.
Read more at http://www.fiercehealthfinance.com/story/ransomware-attacks-hospitals-need-weigh-bottom-line-or-just-take-some-basic/2016-03-28
by medicaltechont | Jan 3, 2016 | Canada, Privacy, Security, Technology, The Internet
Canada is lagging behind the U.S., Britain and other countries in defending citizens and businesses against malicious hackers and cyber-criminals, say numerous groups involved in trying to police the internet.
“We’re failing, we’re falling behind,” warns Katherine Thompson of the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance, one of Canada’s largest private-sector high-tech advocacy groups.
“We cannot continue down the path that we’re on right now,” she told CBC News. “We just went through a very long federal election where not one of the major party leaders discussed cyber-security.”
Click here to read more.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/canada-cybercrime-hacking-seglins-1.3312153
by medicaltechont | Nov 28, 2015 | Canada, Privacy, Security, Technology, United States
With Cyber Monday just around the corner, many people still wonder if it is safe to buy online during end-of-the-year sales events.
Of course it is safe in the sense that you won’t be pushed, hit, or crushed by other customers who also want to get their hands on the big deals. But is your credit or debit card information safe when you shop online? If you take a few basic precautions, you can enjoy the big discounts and not worry about getting into trouble.
Historically, November and December are the months with the most online transactions, and are therefore the months in which cyber-criminals are the most active.
We will enumerate the top five security threats you may encounter when shopping online and give you hints about how to shop safely on these dates.\
Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2015/11/28/top-5-cyber-monday-security-threats-and-what-to-do-about-them/#ixzz3snzVP4ZL
