Because they contain a wealth of personal information, personal medical records are considerably more valuable to hackers than your credit card numbers. It is thus not surprising that medical cybersecurity breaches are anticipated to continue to be a major problem in 2016 and beyond.
Consider how may health and medical-related organizations have some or all of your medical records in their files. Whether it is a large hospital or a small private practice, any medical facility can be vulnerable to cybertheft.

ISSUE: Cybersecurity and your medical records

AHHA strives to maintain a neutral position on issues. For those interested in learning more about this month’s issue, the following online articles have been compiled to get you started on your research. You will note that this month we have not categorized articles as “Pros” and “Cons.” Instead, we present articles on a variety of aspects related to this issue.

Physicians Must Improve Cybersecurity in 2016 (1/8/16)
by Dan Klein
The Doctors’ Advocate

Has Health Care Hacking Become an Epidemic? (3/23/16)
by Nsikan Akapan
PBS NEWSHOUR

Why You Shouldn’t Store Electronic Medical Records in the Public Cloud (5/20/16) [link no longer available]
US Cyber Vault

Balancing Privacy and Security with Health Records (4/13/16)
by Joshua Bleiberg and Niam Yaraghi
Brookings

Creating Guidance for an Invisible Threat (3/10/16)
by Joel Dankwa
REG Blog

Patient Records Hijacked in New Mexico Clinics’ Bankruptcy (6/1/16)
by Joseph Conn
Modern Healthcare