Providers are no longer tied exclusively to the talent that lives within the vicinity of their practices and clinics. Whether through telehealth or billing services, by embracing remote work providers have opened themselves to more professionally and financially beneficial options. Working remotely enables employees to work more efficiently, working in bursts and taking breaks as needed, maximizing their productivity as well as their work/life balance.
Patients have access to care that they may not otherwise, or which would be difficult for them to reach, particularly in rural communities or for patients with mobility and transportation issues. Initial consultations for these patients can be conducted remotely, as can more regular check-ups throughout the care cycle, leading to improved outcomes.
On the other hand, there are several challenges.
Securing the Remote Workplace
One glaring issue is that though remote meetings can be beneficial in connecting teams spread out geographically, the inherent physical disconnect of virtual conferences can sap motivation and focus and make collaboration difficult. Another issue is that not all employees thrive outside of a traditional routine or office environment, and some workers find it difficult to manage their time effectively. Burnout is also a problem, with some employees needing more assistance than others in organizing their workspace, avoiding distractions, or finding a productive and sustainable work rhythm.
But there is an even greater challenge: practice and patient data security.
While working remotely, employees, their devicesand their data reside outside of an organization’s physical location and the reach of their internal IT staff. For many small to medium providers, this change is a huge undertaking they are unequipped to manage, increasing the risk of cyberattacks.
Some recent data illustrates just how vulnerable providers have become.
The Association of American Medical Colleges reports that one in three healthcare organizations was hit with ransomware in 2020. Furthermore, they recorded a 45% increase in such attacks between November 2020 and January 2021, with that upward trend only continuing since then.
According to Critical Insight’s July-December 2021 Healthcare Breach Report, healthcare data breaches reached an all-time high in 2021 with most being linked to hacking and IT-related incidents. The report states that providers made up 73% of data breaches that year, while outpatient and specialty clinics experienced a 41% increase in cybersecurity incidents.
And, according to recent studies, the trend of remote work is here to stay despite these increased vulnerabilities. Separate research by Owl Labs and Qualtrex shows that more than 70% of employees across industries including healthcare said that the ability to work remotely would make them more likely to choose one employer over another in their next job search, with similar numbers preferring a hybrid-remote environment.
Steps you can take
If you are employing even one member of your team remotely, assess the current state of your systems and procedures by asking yourself the following questions:
- Do you have any cybersecurity practices or tools in place?
- How quickly could you detect and put a stop to a cyberattack if one took place?
- Would you be able to continue operations during such an incident?
- Who exactly is responsible for your IT and network?
- How much specialty knowledge do they have when it comes to IT?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you can act today to preserve the security of your practice by following these must-have recommendations:
Deploy a firewall to protect your server, and ensure you have a sturdy spam filter in place. Also, make sure to store your files in more than one place, preferably the cloud. This increases your chances of recovering them, as well as your ability to continue operations with minimal downtime, in the event your main server is compromised.
Keep in mind, too, that your IT system resembles a living being, constantly adapting and changing. Similarly, cybersecurity is an ongoing process. The need to regularly audit your systems, educate your team, and update both your software and hardware is essential. In so many cases, we find that smaller practices and clinics are most at risk of cyberattacks due to a lack of staffing with the experience to pro-actively and adequately manage the multiple fronts faced in cybersecurity as described above, which is where having a dedicated team of professionals on your side is critical.
Metallic IT has specialized in providing IT services to small-to-medium healthcare and dental practices, and we are dedicated to maintaining the productivity, seamless collaboration and high security of your team no matter where they work.
Upon consultation, we will create a customized, dynamic and secure solution that comprehensively meets your specific IT needs. Our mission is to empower you by monitoring and managing the security of your hybrid workforce so you can focus on what matters most: your patients.
Get in touch at sales@metallicit.ai.