The adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in healthcare is driven by the need to contain costs while maximizing quality and efficiency. However, ICT adoption for healthcare information management has brought far-reaching effects and implications on the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath, patient privacy and confidentiality. A wave of security breaches have led to pressing calls for opt-in and opt-out provisions where patients are free to choose to or not have their healthcare information collected and recorded within healthcare information systems. Such provisions have negative impact on cost, efficiency and quality of patient care. Thus determined efforts to gain patient trust is increasingly under consideration for enforcement through legislation, standards, national policy frameworks and implementation systems geared towards closing gaps in ICT security frameworks. The ever-increasing healthcare expenditure and pressing demand for improved quality and efficiency in patient care services are driving innovation in healthcare information management. Key among the main innovations is the introduction of new healthcare practice concepts such as shared care, evidence-based medicine, clinical practice guidelines and protocols, the cradle-to-grave health record and clinical workflow or careflow. Central to these organizational re-engineering innovations is the widespread adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) at national and regional levels, which has ushered in computer-based healthcare information management that is centred on the electronic healthcare record (EHR).

Hospitals, medical practices and healthcare organizations are implementing new technologies at breakneck speed. Yet privacy and security considerations are often an afterthought, putting healthcare organizations at risk of data security and privacy issues, fines, damage to their reputations, with serious potential consequences for the patients. Electronic Health Record systems (EHRs) consist of clinical notes, patient listings, lab results, imaging results and screening tests. EHRs are growing in complexity over time and requiring increasing amounts of data storage.

Healthcare IT is the growth industry right now, and the need for guidance in regard to privacy and security is huge. Why? With new federal incentives and penalties tied to the HITECH Act, HIPAA, and the implementation of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, medical practices and healthcare systems are implementing new software at breakneck speed. Yet privacy and security considerations are often an afterthought, putting healthcare organizations at risk of fines and damage to their reputations. Healthcare Information Privacy and Security: Regulatory Compliance and Data Security in the Age of Electronic Health Records outlines the new regulatory regime, and it also provides IT professionals with the processes and protocols, standards, and governance tools they need to maintain a secure and legal environment for data and records. It’s a concrete resource that will help you understand the issues affecting the law and regulatory compliance, privacy, and security in the enterprise. As healthcare IT security expert Bernard Peter Robichau II shows, the success of a privacy and security initiative lies not just in proper planning but also in identifying who will own the implementation and maintain technologies and processes. From executive sponsors to system analysts and administrators, a properly designed security program requires that that the right people are assigned to the right tasks and have the tools they need. Robichau explains how to design and implement that program with an eye toward long-term success. Putting processes and systems in place is, of course, only the start. Robichau also shows how to manage your security program and maintain operational support including ongoing maintenance and policy updates. (Because regulations never sleep!) This book will help you devise solutions that include: Identity and access management systems Proper application design Physical and environmental safeguards Systemwide and client-based security configurations Safeguards for patient data Training and auditing procedures Governance and policy administration Healthcare Information Privacy and Security is the definitive guide to help you through the process of maintaining privacy and security in the healthcare industry. It will help you keep health information safe, and it will help keep your organization—whether local clinic or major hospital system—on the right side of the law.

Secure and protect sensitive personal patient healthcare information Written by a healthcare information security and privacy expert, this definitive resource fully addresses security and privacy controls for patient healthcare information. Healthcare Information Security and Privacy introduces you to the realm of healthcare and patient health records with a complete overview of healthcare organization, technology, data, occupations, roles, and third parties. Learn best practices for healthcare information security and privacy with coverage of information governance, risk assessment and management, and incident response. Written for a global audience, this comprehensive guide covers U.S. laws and regulations as well as those within the European Union, Switzerland, and Canada. Healthcare Information and Security and Privacy covers: Healthcare industry Regulatory environment Privacy and security in healthcare Information governance Risk assessment and management

The rate of cybercrimes is increasing because of the fast-paced advancements in computer and internet technology. Crimes employing mobile devices, data embedding/mining systems, computers, network communications, or any malware impose a huge threat to data security. Countering Cyber Attacks and Preserving the Integrity and Availability of Critical Systems addresses current problems and issues emerging in cyber forensics and investigations and proposes new solutions that can be adopted and implemented to counter security breaches within various organizations. The publication examines a variety of topics such as advanced techniques for forensic developments in computer and communication-link environments and legal perspectives including procedures for cyber investigations, standards, and policies. It is designed for policymakers, forensic analysts, technology developers, security administrators, academicians, researchers, and students.

The internet of things (IoT) has had a major impact on academic and industrial fields. Applying these technologies to healthcare systems reduces medical costs while enriching the patient-centric approach to medicine, allowing for better overall healthcare proficiency. However, usage of IoT in healthcare is still suffering from significant challenges with respect to the cost and accuracy of medical sensors, non-standard IoT system architectures, assorted wearable devices, the huge volume of generated data, and interoperability issues. Incorporating the Internet of Things in Healthcare Applications and Wearable Devices is an essential publication that examines existing challenges and provides solutions for building smart healthcare systems with the latest IoT-enabled technology and addresses how IoT improves the proficiency of healthcare with respect to wireless sensor networks. While highlighting topics including mobility management, sensor integration, and data analytics, this book is ideally designed for computer scientists, bioinformatics analysts, doctors, nurses, hospital executives, medical students, IT specialists, software developers, computer engineers, industry professionals, academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on how these emerging wireless technologies improve efficiency within the healthcare domain.

Hospital and Healthcare Security, Fifth Edition, examines the issues inherent to healthcare and hospital security, including licensing, regulatory requirements, litigation, and accreditation standards. Building on the solid foundation laid down in the first four editions, the book looks at the changes that have occurred in healthcare security since the last edition was published in 2001. It consists of 25 chapters and presents examples from Canada, the UK, and the United States. It first provides an overview of the healthcare environment, including categories of healthcare, types of hospitals, the nonhospital side of healthcare, and the different stakeholders. It then describes basic healthcare security risks/vulnerabilities and offers tips on security management planning. The book also discusses security department organization and staffing, management and supervision of the security force, training of security personnel, security force deployment and patrol activities, employee involvement and awareness of security issues, implementation of physical security safeguards, parking control and security, and emergency preparedness. Healthcare security practitioners and hospital administrators will find this book invaluable. - Practical support for healthcare security professionals, including operationally proven policies, and procedures - Specific assistance in preparing plans and materials tailored to healthcare security programs - Summary tables and sample forms bring together key data, facilitating ROI discussions with administrators and other departments - General principles clearly laid out so readers can apply the industry standards most appropriate to their own environment NEW TO THIS EDITION: - Quick-start section for hospital administrators who need an overview of security issues and best practices

This User’s Guide is intended to support the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and quality evaluation of registries created to increase understanding of patient outcomes. For the purposes of this guide, a patient registry is an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that serves one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes. A registry database is a file (or files) derived from the registry. Although registries can serve many purposes, this guide focuses on registries created for one or more of the following purposes: to describe the natural history of disease, to determine clinical effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of health care products and services, to measure or monitor safety and harm, and/or to measure quality of care. Registries are classified according to how their populations are defined. For example, product registries include patients who have been exposed to biopharmaceutical products or medical devices. Health services registries consist of patients who have had a common procedure, clinical encounter, or hospitalization. Disease or condition registries are defined by patients having the same diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis or heart failure. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews.

Determinants of health - like physical activity levels and living conditions - have traditionally been the concern of public health and have not been linked closely to clinical practice. However, if standardized social and behavioral data can be incorporated into patient electronic health records (EHRs), those data can provide crucial information about factors that influence health and the effectiveness of treatment. Such information is useful for diagnosis, treatment choices, policy, health care system design, and innovations to improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs. Capturing Social and Behavioral Domains and Measures in Electronic Health Records: Phase 2 identifies domains and measures that capture the social determinants of health to inform the development of recommendations for the meaningful use of EHRs. This report is the second part of a two-part study. The Phase 1 report identified 17 domains for inclusion in EHRs. This report pinpoints 12 measures related to 11 of the initial domains and considers the implications of incorporating them into all EHRs. This book includes three chapters from the Phase 1 report in addition to the new Phase 2 material. Standardized use of EHRs that include social and behavioral domains could provide better patient care, improve population health, and enable more informative research. The recommendations of Capturing Social and Behavioral Domains and Measures in Electronic Health Records: Phase 2 will provide valuable information on which to base problem identification, clinical diagnoses, patient treatment, outcomes assessment, and population health measurement.

This concise, practical guide helps the advocate understand the sometimes dense rules in advising patients, physicians, and hospitals, and in litigating HIPAA-related issues.