
The Significance of Cybersecurity in Connected Healthcare
FREMONT, CA: Over the last few years, hospitals and clinics have migrated their data from paper to electronic health records (EHR). The emergence of wearables, medical devices, implantable devices, advanced robotics, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the healthcare ecosystem.
The rise in cost and the growth of aging populations have forced the organizations from a reactive model of sick care to a more proactive and preventative approach based on early diagnosis and prevention. The emerging technologies have made it possible for medical device manufacturers (MDMs) to design and develop advanced connected medical devices, which empower the healthcare providers to deliver cost-effective services.
The internet of medical things (IoMT) has merged the physical and digital processes in medical centers, producing relevant data to enable accurate and useful diagnosis. Also, it allows medical devices to remotely monitor patient health in real time, streamlining medical operations.
See Also: Top Healthcare Technology Companies
However, IoMT is not without flaws. Like all digital network-enabled devices, it is vulnerable to cyberattacks. Since the devices collect and share sensitive protected health information (PHI) on open networks, it offers plenty of opportunities for potential hackers.
Most of the medical and healthcare institutions have experienced cyber threats. In the IoMT environment, the risk of data breaches is exponentially higher as it allows medical devices to connect with unsecured home or public networks to transmit information. There are several instances when hackers have leveraged IoMT devices to access hospital networks.
Also, most of the machine-to-machine (M2M) protocols in practice are insecure, making the IoMT devices vulnerable to hackers. Hence, hackers can easily hijack IoMT devices and infiltrate the network, enjoying unsecured access to critical infrastructure. They can even intercept sensitive information and compromise the operations of the IoMT devices itself, thus endangering the patients.
With the increase in adoption of IoMT in hospitals and healthcare centers, it is an ideal time to incorporate effective cybersecurity measures in digital healthcare operations. Securing the IoMT is both the responsibility of health delivery organizations (HDOs) and MDMs. The HDOs need to assess their network security measures continuously. The MDMs, on the other hand, should evaluate the design and development processes to incorporate effective cybersecurity measures into the medical devices.
Check This Out: Top Medical Device Consulting Companies
ON THE DECK
Featured Vendors
Sunquest Information Systems Inc.: Transforming Medical Laboratories into Enterprise Strategic Pillars
Smartlink Mobile Systems: Patient/Provider Mobile Communication App Improves Quality of Care and Ensures Full Compliance with Medicare Chronic Care Management
GSI Health: Enabling Effective Population Health Management through the Marriage of Care Coordination with Analytics
HealthCare Information Management, Inc: Simplifying Healthcare Payer Operations through Claims Automation
Wipro Healthcare & Life Sciences Combining Innovation with Expertise to Redefine Healthcare Delivery
Shareable Ink: Simplified Clinical Documentation for Anesthesia, Providers, Patient Check in &Surgery Centers
EDITOR'S PICK
Essential Technology Elements Necessary To Enable...
By Leni Kaufman, VP & CIO, Newport News Shipbuilding
Comparative Data Among Physician Peers
By George Evans, CIO, Singing River Health System
Monitoring Technologies Without Human Intervention
By John Kamin, EVP and CIO, Old National Bancorp
Unlocking the Value of Connected Cars
By Elliot Garbus, VP-IoT Solutions Group & GM-Automotive...
Digital Innovation Giving Rise to New Capabilities
By Gregory Morrison, SVP & CIO, Cox Enterprises
Staying Connected to Organizational Priorities is Vital...
By Alberto Ruocco, CIO, American Electric Power
Comprehensible Distribution of Training and Information...
By Sam Lamonica, CIO & VP Information Systems, Rosendin...
The Current Focus is On Comprehensive Solutions
By Sergey Cherkasov, CIO, PhosAgro
Big Data Analytics and Its Impact on the Supply Chain
By Pascal Becotte, MD-Global Supply Chain Practice for the...
Technology's Impact on Field Services
By Stephen Caulfield, Executive Director, Global Field...
Carmax, the Automobile Business with IT at the Core
By Shamim Mohammad, SVP & CIO, CarMax
The CIO's role in rethinking the scope of EPM for...
By Ronald Seymore, Managing Director, Enterprise Performance...
Driving Insurance Agent Productivity with Mobile and Big...
By Brad Bodell, SVP and CIO, CNO Financial Group, Inc.
Transformative Impact On The IT Landscape
By Jim Whitehurst, CEO, Red Hat
Get Ready for an IT Renaissance: Brought to You by Big...
By Clark Golestani, EVP and CIO, Merck
Four Initiatives Driving ECM Innovation
By Scott Craig, Vice President of Product Marketing, Lexmark...
Technology to Leverage and Enable
By Dave Kipe, SVP, Global Operations, Scholastic Inc.
By Meerah Rajavel, CIO, Forcepoint
AI is the New UI-AI + UX + DesignOps
By Amit Bahree, Executive, Global Technology and Innovation,...
Evolving Role of the CIO - Enabling Business Execution...
By Greg Tacchetti, CIO, State Auto Insurance
Read Also
