By Julia Vann
Between 2010 and 2017, there has been a 70% increase in healthcare data breaches according to HIPAA Journal. Every year since 2010, there has been a gradual increase in healthcare data breaches, except for the year 2015. This continual increase in breaches makes you wonder why this is happening and why breaches are becoming more and more of a problem.
There’s no easy answer, but one can’t help but consider the switch to technology as a possible factor. Switching over to a new service and learning how to use it is bound to cause problems, no matter how careful a person is.
The study covered healthcare providers, health plans, and business associates of HIPAA covered entities. Among them, healthcare providers experienced the most breaches.““More breaches happen—for the sake of argument—in doctor’s offices, quote-on-quote ‘healthcare providers,’ but more records get lost by big insurance companies,” said McCoy” (HIPAA Journal).
Caring for this data is a giant responsibility, so mistakes are bound to happen. However, the sheer amount of breaches goes beyond little mistakes. Judging by this study, it’s a growing problem. It has been increasing for years now and there is no evidence to suggest it will stop anytime soon.
Perhaps this data tells us that protecting patient information requires more care and effort. Careless oversight can lead to huge problems, especially because majority of patient data has been moved onto computers.
At the end of the day, patient safety and privacy should come first, so it’s time to make a change.
For more information about HIPAA, visit the American Medical Compliance website.
“Study Reveals 70% Increase in Healthcare Data Breaches Between 2010 and 2017.” HIPAA Journal, 28 Sept. 2018, www.hipaajournal.com/study-reveals-70-increase-in-healthcare-data-breaches-between-2010-and-2017/.
