Given how medical providers struggle with ensuring their data is safe, something had to be done to offer guidance. Read this blog about a new cybersecurity plan.  

The picture archiving and communication system (PACS) is an ecosystem that stores images that are gathered from medical imaging technology. This ecosystem offers a convenient platform where medical providers can store and access these vital images. However, this ecosystem is vulnerable to cyberattacks.

In order to provide protection for this confidential data, the NIST National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence recently released proposed guidance to assist healthcare delivery organizations with securing their picture archiving and communication systems. In addition, they also released a project aimed at providing an example solution for building stronger security controls.

The guidance material called, Securing Picture Archiving and Communication System, includes aspects that help health organizations design an approach, architecture, and security elements for the PACS ecosystem, including easy-to-follow how-to guidance.

The Evolution of Digital Capabilities

As image-making technologies have taken a gigantic leap over the last decade, now confidential data and vital imaging are uploaded in a digital format by providers across the globe. This adds a huge level of convenience and gives providers the ability to easily store and share this content. The systems that house these images and data are typically stored in image-intensive areas like the radiology department and are also uploaded to each patient’s electronic health record (EHR).

But as this process adds easier accessibility and organization in a digital format, including limiting the time to takes for doctors to make a diagnosis, the technology has also opened the door to more cyber threats. And many medical providers struggle with auditing user accounts and monitoring them properly to suspect any abnormal behavior. Medical providers also struggle with ensuring that data moves safely across the network and also with monitoring access by its users, which can lead to a drop in system performance.

Goals of the Project

With the project set forth by the NIST National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, their goals include the following:

• Identify who uses the PACS systems
• Determine the process between the user and system
• Perform a risk assessment
• Identify appropriate mitigating security tools
• Design an example solution

The ultimate goal here is to assist provider organizations with reducing the chance of a cyber breach or substantial data loss, while also minimizing any disruptions with their systems. This also puts emphasis on enabling quick access to imaging and important data without this confidential data becoming vulnerable to an attack, which also offers peace of mind for patient privacy.

Broad Capabilities Equals Broad Threat Landscape

So what makes these systems so vulnerable? This occurs from the broad capabilities of this technology. The PACS connectivity of the ecosystem works with a variety of different technologies that include medical imaging devices and other systems that help to manage and maintain archives of medical images. The role of PACS is to interact with medical imaging devices, connect with other clinical systems, and allow users from multiple locations to review images that lead to faster and higher quality patient care.

With such a broad spectrum of capabilities involved with the PACS ecosystem, the means a broad landscape for threat.

Fitbit, a leader in health and technology, has recently introduced a new digital product to help individuals reach their goals faster with a more manageable approach.

Fitbit Care is a combination of the company’s popular fitness tracking devices with a new health coaching platform that addresses everything from wellness and prevention to chronic conditions and complex care management. Designed to promote wellness and improve disease management and prevention with tailored health and wellness services for a more personalized application. This exciting new enterprise attained through the acquisition of Twine Health, a small Boston-based software startup, will continue to support the fitness tracking Fitbit is known for while also addressing services like medication adherence, smoking cessation and managing chronic conditions.

Fitbit Care will be offered via the company’s business-to-business unit, Fitbit Health Solutions. Following in the footsteps of Apple and Amazon as they move into the healthcare system the health coaching platform was designed for integration into organizations with healthcare professionals on staff or businesses that include health plans, workforce health providers, and health systems. The Fitbit Care approach focuses on key tenets of behavioral psychology and learning science as the core principles of the application. By putting people at the center of their own health journey it offers personalized care with more sustainable behavior changes with offers better long-term results. at the core of the experience. Users enrolled in the care plans also have access to health coaches, who will offer personalized fitness and exercise plans along with other wellness advice. The coaching sessions are offered through remote communication and face-to-face meetings. Individuals who are enrolled in the health coaching component of Fitbit will have access to the new Fitbit Plus app, which allows users to track metrics including blood glucose, blood pressure, and medication adherence, both from Fitbit and other third-party connected devices. The social component of connecting through groups also encourages healthy behavior as users keep each other accountable, motivated and encouraged as they exercise together in social groups. This enables an entire team to participate in the health coaching experience.

According to the Fitbit Care website clients have seen dramatic increases in coach panel size, often upwards of 300% in some cases. The main goal is for users to have the ability to connect with their doctors through the Fitbit Care platform. This new premium fitness coaching feature will allow doctors to have the ability to check on a user’s daily metrics and stay up-to-date on the effectiveness of the treatment for specific issues. Essentially, Fitbit wants to be the one place everyone connects over health and supporting patients beyond the walls of the doctor’s office is a big step in this direction by providing accountability, support, guidance and resources that remove some of the most difficult barriers in healthcare outcomes.

Top Ways to Handle the End of Windows 7 in the Healthcare Industry

Microsoft will end its support for Windows 7 soon. Learn how this will affect your healthcare organization and what you can do to prevent security problems.  

Between the years 2009 and 2018, 189,945,874 healthcare records were either stolen or exposed because of cybersecurity breaches.

If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. In fact, “it equates to more than 59% of the population of the United States,” according to HIPAA Journal. Obviously, among healthcare organizations, cybersecurity has become a serious concern.

And it’s about to get worse.

In only a few months, the operating system that nearly all healthcare organizations in the United States utilize — Windows 7 — will lose support from its manufacturer, Microsoft.

Microsoft calls this the “end-of-life” for Windows 7, and it’s going to happen on January 14, 2020. The change will affect all businesses and individuals who are currently operating the Windows 7 OS, but healthcare organizations are especially at risk. That’s because this loss of support also means that the majority of Windows 7 medical devices will be running an outdated and unprotected version of Windows.

Fortunately, healthcare organizations can make changes now to avoid serious operating system and security problems in January of 2020 We’ll discuss how to transition to Windows 10 (the most up-to-date Microsoft operating system) in a moment. For now, let’s discuss what it really means that Windows 7 is losing support from Microsoft.

What Do “End-of-Life” and “Loss of Support” Really Mean?

“End-of-life” is the term Microsoft specifically uses to define the period when they will no longer provide software support for a specific application or piece of software. It’s the same as “loss of support.”

Both terms mean that “Microsoft will no longer provide the following:

• Technical support for any issues
• Software updates
• Security updates or fixes”

Why Would Continuing to Use Windows 7 Be Bad?

Most of the precautions surrounding Windows 7’s end-of-life revolve around cybersecurity.

Though you may not have realized it, for the past ten years, Microsoft has been constantly working on the security, efficiency, and fluidity of its Windows 7 operating system. The Microsoft team constantly provides updates and upgrades for Windows 7 users. Moreover, it monitors and troubleshoots possible cybersecurity issues, catching issues and breaches before they start.

Often, these patches and updates are keeping you and your healthcare organization from being breached by cybercriminals who would love to steal your money or get their hands on your data and hold it for ransom.

When Microsoft ends their support, this dam they’ve been maintaining goes away, and the influx of cybersecurity troubles may very well be at your doorstep as soon as the first day of the end of support.

How Can You Maintain Security Within your Healthcare Organization as the End-of-Life Day for Windows 7 Nears?

If your healthcare organization is still using Windows 7, you’re safe for now. But it’s time to start the transition to Windows 10 — Microsoft’s latest OS. You’ll want to start this shift as soon as possible as the change can instigate a sizable change in pace for your business and a considerable amount of expenses as well.

A good place to start is with your managed services provider. The designated IT specialists within your healthcare establishment will be able to help you transition smoothly and seamlessly from Windows 7 to Windows 10.