Implementing policies and procedures to improve data security

According to a recent MGMA Stat poll, only about 40% of respondents have reviewed their cyber insurance policy in 2016. If you are part of the 60% who haven’t, you may want to consider it, says Mark McLaughlin, MGMA member, site reviewer, Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission.

“In this increasingly electronic world, cyberattacks have become more prevalent,” McLaughlin says, nothing that 72% of malicious attacks focused on the healthcare sector are targeting medical practices and their systems. “So it’s imperative that medical practices have a comprehensive security framework in place.”

McLaughlin also emphasizes the importance of properly training your employees. “The most vulnerable link in any medical practice is the workforce,” he says. Many employees may not be aware of the dangers of phishing or clicking on malicious links, but “proper education of the workforce helps create awareness and reduces the likelihood that such attacks will be successful.”

And don’t forget to consider your vendors. “Vendors hold the keys to the protected health information for the practice,” McLaughlin says. “So if they’re not appropriately safeguarded, your practice could potentially be at risk.”

Listen to our full conversation and learn more about how you can implement better data security policies in your practice in this episode of the MGMA Small Talk podcast.

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