OIG: HHS Needs to Push Secure Health Data Exchange

November 21, 2016

In its report, the HHS Office of Inspector General identifies 10 top management and performance challenges facing HHS as it strives to fulfill its mission “to enhance the health and well-being of Americans by providing effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health and social services.”

… Although healthcare is trying to catch up on implementing security practices and technology, the industry is still far behind some other sectors, including the financial services industry, says Keith Fricke, partner and principle consultant at tw-Security. “This is because the financial sector has always had information of interest to criminals. In more recent times, criminals have turned an eye toward stealing patient information for financial gain. Continued cyber education and awareness of workers in the healthcare industry is a necessity.”

Trump Impact?

As for whether President-elect Trump’s administration will have a significant impact on HHS’ privacy and security policies, the jury is still out, Fricke says.

“It is hard to say anything about the impact the Trump administration will have – good or bad, – because the president-elect has a large list of items to address when he takes office – privacy and security being only one of those many things,” he says.