In recent months, many large organizations, including law firms and hospitals, have had their daily processes disrupted by cyber attacks. In response, hospitals have been implementing more cybersecurity measures. However, according to the Huffington Post, strengthening cybersecurity may come at the cost of quality healthcare.
Hospitals are attractive targets for hackers because they contain intimate personal information of patients. Greater reliance on electronic health records (EHRs) and medical devices increase hospital efficiency and patient access but also puts hospitals at risk for more cyberattacks: hospitals suffer approximately 88% of all ransomware attacks. As healthcare facilities integrate EHRs with IoT technology, the gaps in the cybersecurity measures of healthcare systems are becoming exposed.
Current cybersecurity measures include cybersecurity trainings for healthcare professionals to quickly recognize, defend against, and recover from attacks. Although these measures are meant to minimize cyberattacks, many doctors circumvent these security measures because they interfere with routine practices like relaying prescriptions, impeding healthcare delivery. Studies show that physicians spend, on average, 1.5 hours of a workday just logging in through layers of password protection. In some cases, a 15-minute consultation for a patient could mean an additional 45 minutes of paperwork and EHR for a physician.
Security measures are needed but not at the detriment of healthcare quality. Setting up systems with layers of authentication is not necessary, nor the most efficient way to deter ransomware attacks. With Quantea’s QP Series appliance solution integrated, physicians can safely circumvent the time-consuming cybersecurity measures to quickly deliver healthcare in critical and urgent cases. The QP provides around-the-clock network monitoring and recording with timely alerts when network and user anomalies are detected. Full network visibility allows hospitals and other healthcare facilities to immediately recognize, defend against, and recover from cyberattacks in the shortest time frame possible while maintaining the highest quality of healthcare delivery.
