ITC Shares Startling Findings and Educates Healthcare Providers on Solutions
NEWBURGH – ITC, a leading managed technology services provider, announced today that the company is sharing a startling fact that has many people questioning the data security practices of hospitals and clinics everywhere.
A 2020 study by Black Book Market Research found that 82% of hospital CIOs in inpatient facilities under 150 staffed beds and 90% of practice administrators collectively state they are not even close to spending an adequate amount on protecting patient records from a data breach. Additionally, 90% of health systems and hospital employees who shifted to a work-at-home assignment due to the pandemic, did not receive any updated guidelines or training on the increasing risk of accessing sensitive patient data compromising systems.
It’s not a surprise that cyberattacks against healthcare institutions have skyrocketed. Hackers want to acquire medical records due to their extreme value. The information in medical records (name, birthdate, addresses, phone numbers, medical history and social security numbers), can be easily used for identity theft, fraudulent medical billing or acquiring prescriptions to resell on the street. This flaw in IT security is not a series of isolated incidents but an incredibly widespread problem now affecting millions of people across the nation. IT security is often a large oversight for healthcare organizations because their objective is to save lives. Unfortunately, lack of internal IT expertise and outdated technology plagues the healthcare industry making it an easy target.
Keith Studt, President of ITC, commented, “The challenge here is that doctors are inherently more focused on direct patient care, instead of upgrading their IT security. This a great thing for society and we believe that’s exactly what doctors should be focused on! The only thing is that cybersecurity must be addressed too. Over the years, we’ve learned exactly what it takes to protect health organizations and we love being a part of the solution to this problem. It’s unfortunate when something like this happens but it brings much needed education to the issues at hand. We consider it our duty to educate our market and provide doctors with the technology tools they need to do their jobs, protect their patients and spend their time focused on saving lives. That’s our job.”
