by medicaltechont | Dec 20, 2014 | Security, Technology
Staples says as many as 1.16 million customer credit cards may have been compromised as part of a malware attack on some of its point-of-sale systems earlier this year. Today the company released some of its findings of an investigation into the attacks, saying that malware was found in 113 of its US stores, and may have affected purchases at those locations made between August 10th, 2014 and September 16th, 2014. Staples added that at two stores, the malicious software could have been running unseen for even longer, dating all the way back to late-July.
http://www.appy-geek.com/Web/ArticleWeb.aspx?regionid=3&articleid=33562847
by medicaltechont | Nov 1, 2014 | Technology
Microsoft has launched a new platform dubbed Microsoft Health and a band that’s designed to track your health data and serve out insights. Microsoft Health also comes out of the gate with Android, iOS and Jawbone, MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal and Runkeeper compatibility, but the real win may be in the cloud.
If Microsoft’s health effort and wearable sounds familiar that’s because the tech titans are all deploying similar efforts. Apple has its HealthKit effort—to be complemented by Apple Watch in early 2015—that has a long list of app and wearable partners sans Fitbit. Google Fit is another effort to aggregate the health data being tracked by a bevy of wearable devices and apps.
Read more online at ZDNET
by medicaltechont | May 24, 2014 | Cloud, EHR, Ontario, Privacy, Software, Technology, The Internet
Is your cloud (online web-based) application vulnerable to hackers? Do you even know if the OpenSSL security flaw and bug affected your important data? Are you paying attention to your investment? Or do you even care?
With many moving full steam ahead with cloud-based solutions, recent developments have casted a slight shadow on the security of patient data and how much risk a medical practitioner is willing to take with personal medical information in the cloud.
When you visit the doctor, nurse practitioner or other health professionals there is a trust developed; whereby your confidentiality is respected and observed. As a patient you assume that all efforts are taken to uphold that trust. You assume that your personal medical data is secure from the prying eyes of others. However do you really know if your personal information is safe? It’s amazing to know that so many regular individuals assume, in Canada, that their personal information, located within a Doctor’s office, is 100% safe and secure. But what happens if they find out that there was a breach in security? What happens if a patient came to view results of something extremely important, only available within your EMR or medical software, and your “Internet” connection is down? What do you tell the patient? Are you certain that your medical information is safe?
Read: Cisco and Heartbleed, A Class Action Lawsuit In The Making (Seeking Alpha)
Although the term “online web based billing software” is the new buzz word, not all solutions have to be cloud-based. Many use terms like “bill from anywhere“, or “use any web-browser“, yet there are alternatives, which still allow you to be in control or your data. Many companies will never tell you how often their networks are down. Fear is used scare individuals into thinking that their equipment is safe with their company. “ 99% up-time“, is the standard default line for most online and cloud providers. However, as a medical professional, you assume the risk to your reputation and medical license. Patients believe that “you” and your medical practice are in trust of their personal medical and critical information. We all know, once trust is broken it is often difficult to repair.
Good luck trying to blame your technical problems on others when your cloud application is down (offline), your web-based provider was hacked (losing personal patient information) or even have disappeared with your data (bankrupted). Some comments from online vendors are shown below.
” Sorry about that folks, someone literally drove over our Internet connection this morning and ripped it from the pole. Everything restored.”
“The six-hour outage of Cerner’s network late last month has raised fresh concerns about cloud hosting of patient records.”
“ Target ignored its own alarms—and turned its customers into victims of an epic hack“(Bloomberg Businessweek)
“EBay initially believed user data safe after cyberattack“(Toronto Sun)
If your medical patient records are in the cloud ask yourself the following questions.
- Who actually has your data?
- Where, on planet Earth literally, is your data located?
- Are their cloud servers in Canada? The U.S.? Overseas? Or in an undesirable location in another country?
- If your patient data is in a foreign country what laws govern access to that information?
- Who is actually looking at your entrusted patient data?
- What is the risk and liability to your medical practice?
When choosing a vendor, for your medical software, never assume that the data within their office. Ask questions, first and never assume. Servers could be anywhere.
“If the cloud that hosts your data has servers in a foreign country, the laws of that foreign country may govern your data when stored in that server.”
Think of a more balanced approach to medical file management and health records. There are options to mobility that will not compromise your medical data. Just because it looks cheap, bleeding edge and downright “cool”, does it make it the best solution for you?
You can survive without your Facebook page, even Microsoft Word online for a while, but what about your medical records, lab reports and more; in relation to your office, or hospital? Under some certifications and requirements today EMR is considered a medical device; which must operate and function in a specific manner. If medical records and software were like a pace-maker, how much risk would you take?
by medicaltechont | Apr 6, 2014 | Canada, Cloud, eHealth, Privacy, United States
When it comes to electronic health records, “the switch to cloud is inevitable.” That’s according to Joy Pritts, Chief Privacy Officer at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT in the Obama administration, who spoke at a “Health Care, the Cloud, and Privacy” panel hosted by the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, Patient Privacy Rights.
Electronic health records are exactly what they sound like: A collection of health information in digital format that can include a wide range of data, from intimate details of your medical history and test results to demographic data to your billing information. Digital records are superior to physical ones because they can be transferred quickly when patients switch providers, help doctors get a complete picture of patient health, eliminate the need for redundant testing, and provide new opportunities for analyzing treatments for efficiency and effectiveness.
Read more.
by medicaltechont | Apr 5, 2014 | Legal, Privacy
Get patient consent before storing records in data clouds MDU advises
Some GPs and independent practitioners have asked the MDU about their legal and ethical responsibilities when using virtual servers accessible over the internet, known as ‘data clouds’, to store patient information. The MDU, which indemnifies over half of all UK doctors, advises that clinicians consider very carefully the risks involved in storing confidential medical information in third party off-site cloud facilities. Dr Claire Macaulay, MDU medico-legal adviser, explained: “Traditionally information such as patient records has been stored locally within the practice. But cloud computing can offer a convenient alternative, not least because the information can be accessed from any computer. However, the potential security and confidentiality risks of doing so may, for the present time, outweigh the benefits.” – See more at: http://www.themdu.com/press-centre/press-releases/get-patient-consent-before-storing-records-in-data-clouds-mdu-advises#sthash.565UnHGT.dpuf
See more at: http://www.themdu.com/press-centre/press-releases/get-patient-consent-before-storing-records-in-data-clouds-mdu-advises#sthash.565UnHGT.dpuf
