COVID-19 and the Booming Use of Telemedicine

We can probably all agree that we’ve heard about COVID a little too much, for a little too long. Unfortunately our personal feelings do not matter, the aftermath of COVID will certainly shape the future of our society and the way we conduct business. And with that, a potentially frightening future. Hackers value healthcare information and data more than any other type of industry. Nearly 89% of healthcare organizations have experienced some form of a data breach and a patient record costs, on average, $363. However, there is an enlightening point to be made in the same breath. Here at Steel Patriot Partners we know you are passionate about taking care of your patients. We are passionate about protecting your ability to provide that passionate care. As the technology and software of telemed advance, so too will the advancement in the attacks that will try and breach the digital privacy between you and your patients. Your ability to practice medicine does not have to be inhibited because of a worry for being hacked, the cost of an IT team, or the fear of operating a secure network by yourself.  

Just to take a step back and clarify, I am talking about the entirety of telemedicine. That can include 3 different interactions. First, the old fashioned way of telemed, making a call to one of your patients. The second, a video interaction using an assisted platform to host the video call. And Lastly, a video interaction with the use of assisted devices. These devices could be as simple as uploading documents and information from an Apple Watch. To something more advanced like the Health-e-Chair. Which is a chair that incorporates a vast array of biosensors to measure basic vital signs, all the way up to more advanced metrics like ECG, auscultation of heart and lung sounds, blood oxygen saturation, motion analysis and reflex response time. Plus, the chair incorporates a communication unit with a remotely controlled camera. Since the chair is remotely controlled, all the patient needs to do is sit in the Health-e-Chair and let the remote physician do their job.  

These advancements are great and certainly have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry, but they all rely on one very key, and very overlooked aspect. They are all digital communication. Sent over a network. Over the Internet. Often unsecured. We have all heard of what’s happened with Zoom and the hacks that have occurred on that platform. However, more are looming on other big name telemed hosting platforms like Doxy.me, Critix, and many others. In 2019, 31.6M healthcare records were breeched, more than doubling that of 2018 (15.1M) So needless to say, hacks are on the rise and they are not likely to stop. For anyone or any size. However, you don’t have to go at it alone. We offer a fully managed Security Operations (SOC) Team that manages any incidents that may arise 24/7 365. Just like the days when you were on call or pulled 24 – 48 hour shifts. We do not sleep because viruses and emergencies do not sleep either.  

If you are interested in a fully managed security team to back your business or support your IT team, our service makes managing everything from user behavior analytics to network intrusions as simple as a click. If there is an issue that needs to be brought to your attention our Security Team will reach out to you to let you know the possible intrusion has been stopped and we have updated the software to correct the issue for future viable attempts. You can email [email protected] or give us a call at 855-578-7272 and we would love to talk!