Small and Specialty Healthcare Providers Although small and specialty healthcare providers deliver personal medical care, such as aesthetic clinics, outpatient specialty providers, etc., the reliance on close relationships with patients and small teams has made them targets for cybercriminals. As the healthcare sector continues to digitize, smaller healthcare providers are finding that being a small specialty practice can increase their vulnerabilities, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals.
Unlike large hospitals, small medical practices typically do not have dedicated cyber security teams, nor do they have the infrastructure to build an enterprise-level cyber security program. Small medical practices manage highly-sensitive data, including patient identity, medical history, and treatment records. For example, the Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery data breach incident that occurred in November 2023 illustrates how specialty healthcare providers that have built up trusted client relationships over time still face significant challenges to protecting their patient’s data when it is compromised.
The limitations of resources contribute to smaller practices' risks. Small practices typically prioritize patient care and clinical outcomes over IT investments, choosing to use third-party software vendors, cloud-based systems, and outside IT support for their IT functions. These tools help improve operational efficiency but also create increased access points that the small practice must monitor for security. A single weakness—for instance, outdated software, weak authentication methods, or improperly configured access controls—could expose large amounts of the protected health information of the small practice's patients.
One area of concern with these practices is the high amount of personal information that is stored. For example, aesthetic and specialty healthcare providers have many more details saved in their systems than just medical records. These documents can contain photographs, procedures performed, and consultation notes. With more detail comes a higher value if the information is stolen and sold on the black market, and a higher level of risk for patients if that happens. Unlike your password or credit card number, once your medical record is made public, there's no changing that.
There are also human factors involved as well. A small staff presents unique challenges for many people because they may wear multiple hats (administrative, clinical, and operational). Because of this, they may be more susceptible to phishing emails or social engineering attempts; while trying to take care of patients, they may not be paying as much attention to their cybersecurity awareness. Email accounts remain the most common method of access for hackers attacking healthcare facilities.
In addition, the regulatory environment adds another level of stress to healthcare organizations (even small ones) based on the strict privacy laws that govern the industry. Compliance requires implementing various safeguards, reporting data breaches, and protecting data long term, all of which can be difficult for organizations to implement when there are no clear internal compliance policies in place, risk assessments are not conducted on a regular basis, and employees have not received ongoing education. The level of damage from a data breach can be out of proportion for smaller organizations compared to larger ones.
The continued advancement of the healthcare sector moving away from traditional brick and mortar operations means that cyber security is no longer just an issue faced by large hospitals; cyber security is now something that all healthcare organizations need to be thinking about, no matter how small or specialized the organization may be.
Healthcare organizations have to ensure that they are protecting patient information and that doing so helps them remain in compliance with federal regulations, but cyber security also represents an opportunity for the healthcare organization to maintain the confidence and trust of their patients; this is critical to the foundation for which personalized healthcare has been built upon.
