GDPR Archives - Electronic Health Reporter

Jan 28
2021

Important Steps For E-Health Businesses To Remain GDPR Compliant

By Milica Vojnic, digital marketeer, Wisetek.

In no small part to the fact that we live within a decidedly digital society, it only stands to reason that securing personal and private information is now one of the most pertinent concerns. This is also why the European Union created the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protocol to mitigate the chances of private material falling into the wrong hands. Of course, some sectors tend to be more vulnerable than others. One striking example involves the e-health community. This article highlights the steps firms can take to better protect their clients and remain in full compliance with GDPR guidelines.

The Role of ITAD for Health Organizations

First and foremost, the notion of IT Asset Distribution (ITAD) is critical to address before moving on. The main concern involves the fact that important patient information (such as names, email addresses and financial details) may be inadvertently stored within end-of-life devices such as computers and mobile phones. If they are not disposed of properly, there is always a risk that this data can be subsequently accessed by a (potentially nefarious) third party. ITAD provides start-up healthcare organisations with a handful of options including:

Overwriting the existing information.
Magnetically erasing the data; rendering it completely inaccessible.
Physically destroying the device(s) in question.

As these processes are not normally able to be accomplished through the use of in-house techniques, it is better to outsource such solutions to third-party vendors with a proven track record.

A Disturbing Trend Within the Healthcare Sector

Another issue which start-up online healthcare providers must overcome involves online security in relation to current GDRP regulations. This has been highlighted by a handful of stark facts; perhaps the most worrisome is that 66 percent of firms still do not utilise a secure HTTPS server. Not only will this place the data of patients at risk, but it also augments the chances that the website in question could fall victim to hacking and similar activities. Thus, it is crucial that all e-health portals adopt the appropriate SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) systems to avert any possible breaches sooner as opposed to later.

Oct 4
2019

Benefits, Challenges, and Examples of Cloud Technology Application in Healthcare

By Michael Dunlop

Cloud Computing, Network, Internet Cloud technology application in healthcare is not new. Back in 2015, we created a post on cloud usage in healthcare, where we researched this topic and predicted that we will see the growth of this industry. And now in 2019, we see that we were right. Let us see what as changed in this area with time.

What are the benefits of using cloud technology in healthcare?

Although not yet fully implemented, cloud computing is popular with healthcare because it offers a lot of positive features that are essentials for improving the medical industry.

Improved data management and storage

It goes without saying that the healthcare industry deals with a lot of data that needs to be stored somewhere. And cloud data storage capacity is one of the biggest advantages of adopting cloud technology in this industry. Plus, keeping records on the cloud allows analyzing the data, which in its turn can help prevent major disease outbreaks.

Mobility and speed

For hardware servers, we run a speed test to verify if the connection is speedy enough, but it is a fact that cloud computing offers faster connection and access to required information, which oftentimes is key in healthcare. Additionally, storing data on the cloud allows healthcare professionals to be able to access it from anywhere at any given time. It also enhances more efficient collaboration between them, as information is synchronized in real-time. This way doctors can easily view samples, lab results, and share notes, which significantly improves patient care.

Lower cost

Compared to supercomputers, cloud computing costs far less. Also, upgrades of any of the various features of cloud tools are both faster and cheaper than those done for hardware solutions.

Challenges and risks of cloud application in healthcare

Even though cloud technology has many advantages for healthcare, nevertheless, there is a number of risks and challenges that slow down the transition process to the new system completely. The biggest ones of them are the following:

HIPAA compliance

Whatever cloud solution healthcare organizations decide to use, it must be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for secure data portability. It means that these principles should not only be understood and followed by medical facilities, but by cloud technology vendors as well. However, there are many cloud providers on the market now who offer HIPAA compliance.

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