2012 Survey Dives Deeper into Information Security and Data Protection Practices

With a little nudge and some suggestions from CynergisTek, and an active and interested listener in Suzanna Hoppszallern from H&HN, the 2012 Most Wired Survey included its most robust information security question set to date.

In recent years, and particularly with the rise of the EHR and information exchange, we found ourselves asking, “Can a health system really be considered or consider itself ‘most wired’ if it does not have a high-performing security controls environment worthy of the moniker?” So, rather than ask ourselves that question for another year, we approached Suzanna Hoppszallern who was extremely interested in our thoughts and thought process. The result was a revised and more detailed set of information security and data protection related questions in the 2012 survey.

So, what were the findings? As conveyed in the featured cover article in H&HN this month:

Most Wired hospitals are more prepared than their counterparts for security breaches and employ more advanced security tools to protect patient data. Ninety-three percent of Most Wired hospitals employ intrusion detection systems compared with 77 percent of the total respondents. “Half of risk mitigation is knowing what is going on in your enterprise,” says Mac McMillan, CEO, CynergisTek Inc., and former chair of a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s security working group. “Most Wired hospitals are implementing more sophisticated IT security architectures and are better informed.” Many organizations still do not perform risk analyses and penetration testing on a regular basis. “What it tells us is that we still have relatively immature risk management for the most part in the industry,” McMillan says.

Over 200 hospitals and health system earned the 2012 “Most Wired’ designation and their commitment to information security, patient privacy and data protection as reflected in the more rigorous survey process is to be commended.

For the full H&HN article visit: http://digital.hhnmostwired.com/DigitalAnywhere/viewer.aspx?id=2&pageId=1