[ISN] Patient Data Losses Jump 32%

http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/security-privacy/232300099

By Nicole Lewis
InformationWeek
December 07, 2011

The frequency of patient data losses at healthcare organizations has 
increased by 32% compared to last year, with nearly half (49%) of 
respondents citing lost or stolen computing devices such as laptops, 
tablets, and smartphones, according to recently published figures from 
the Ponemon Institute's second annual benchmark study on patient data 
security.

The latest report--2011 Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy and Data 
Security--estimates that data losses and security breaches cost the U.S. 
healthcare industry about $6.5 billion. And healthcare organizations 
face challenges in their ability to stem those losses.

Some 61% of organizations said they are not confident they know where 
their patient data is physically located, 55% said they have little or 
no confidence in their ability to detect all privacy incidents, and 46% 
reported that patient data breaches and data losses occurred among 
third-party business associates.

Fighting patient data losses and security breaches will entail beefing 
up health IT personnel and procedures to combat these weaknesses. 
However, 54% of respondents said they have an inadequate budget for 
security and privacy, 45% said there is insufficient risk assessment, 
and another 43% identified a lack of trained staff and end users as a 
problem.

[...]


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