The number of healthcare facilities that reported a breach in security that requires notification increased 6 percent from 13 percent in 2008 to 19 percent in 2010, according to the 2010 HIMSS Analytics report on the security of patient data, commissioned by Kroll Fraud Solutions.
“The positive impact…is that there is a growing level of awareness around the state of patient data security in the U.S. healthcare industry related to the increased regulation and the policies put in place to comply with those rules,” the authors wrote. However, the report warned there is concern that the security practices in place continue to overemphasize “checklist” mentality for compliance without implementing more sustainable changes.
Among the respondents who reported a breach out of the 250 respondents that participated in the research, nearly three-quarters reported their organization had one (43 percent) or two (28 percent) breaches in the past 12 months. Another 15 percent reported 10 or more breaches during this time, according to the report. The remaining 15 percent had three to nine breaches during the time.
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