The security of our computer systems and the data they protect is undeniably important. I’m an avid mountain biker and you can always tell the riders in the group who’ve had a bad crash because they wear the most pads. I see a similar thing with cyber-security; even if nothing has happened to you yet, it’s important to be prepared.
Unfortunately, cyber-crime is a huge business. Last year, the US Department of Justice reported over a billion dollars in known ransomware payments, and these payments have created a market that attracts people eager to exploit it. It’s widely expected that these scams will continue to grow in quantity and sophistication, so at QHR we have dedicated personnel, systems, and audits to ensure our own and our customers’ data are secure and monitored. But a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. That’s why we need to ensure that you and your organization have the right tools and knowledge to shut the door on these malicious “bad actors.”
Of the 17,000 providers in Canada who use Accuro, most are now on the ASP offering, which we are strongly recommending to all customers. I appreciate you may have great security in your clinic, but we have an entire department dedicated to it, along with data centers designed for it. Among its other benefits, ASP lets users take advantage of the new layers of security we can offer, including Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
MFA is already used by some clinics at the operating system level, but we’ve been busy preparing a QHR-offered MFA which will soon become standard for all ASP customers, in a package we’ve rebranded as “Accuro Cloud.” This package leverages Microsoft Azure and supporting products, and brings you and your data to a higher level of digital security.
A quick reminder of the basics you are probably already doing:
- Use great passwords that change often
- Be alert for phishing attacks that try to trick you into revealing login info
- Designate a clinic Security Rep to ensure focused effort
- Talk to us about ASP and Accuro Cloud
EMRs offer access to information and tools to connect to each other like never before. We can be quite safe, but it needs ongoing focus, together. Let’s all put our protective gear on ahead of time, and work together to create an unbreakable chain.