Report: Data Breaches Are Imminent Threat To Telemedicine’s Future

The digital transformation over the past year has brought with it a tidal wave of fraud and data breaches harming businesses across a wide range of industries, but healthcare information in particular has become more prized to crooks than even financial data. Some are calling medical identity theft the fastest-growing crime in America, with reams of medical data formerly kept in manila folders becoming the target of hackers as quickly as healthcare providers can digitize it.

The July Digital Identity Tracker® explores how healthcare providers and players within the space are securing patient data and how digital ID verification can help meet federal regulations.

Around The Digital Identity Landscape

Like every other sector of the economy, healthcare was forced to make a speedy digital transformation last year. Today, a number of digital tools, including telehealth services, have become the norm and act as a lifeline to patients. COVID-19 restrictions caused the launch of video conferencing to empower health organizations to deliver care. Paul King, president and CEO at Stanford Children’s Health in California​, said if anyone had told him that they would have to convert up to 80 percent of outpatient to be virtual in less than a week, he would have told them it was impossible.

Public health organizations are under pressure to balance patient rights and the principles of data protection. To address this, the European World Health Organization (WHO/Europe) has issued suggestions on how public health agencies can boost data protection compliance. “The Protection of Personal Data in Health Information Systems: Principles and Processes for Public Health” is part of WHO/Europe’s effort to assist member nations in strengthening health information systems (HIS). Compliance with data protection rules has been a challenge for institutions involved in HIS management.

Klever, a Finland-based cryptocurrency wallet company, has selected Jumio to provide biometric identity verification for automated onboarding that meets know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. The company’s Klever Exchange is an app designed to provide simple and speedy cryptocurrency trading that is secure and low in fees, the company said. The app uses security software based on encryption techniques to keep the wallet secure. Jumio’s biometric technology will be used in KYC registration and user authentication.

For more on these and other digital identity news, download this month’s Tracker.

Forward Health On Securing Biometric Data From Breaches

Prioritizing security has been key for healthcare companies that have historically been prone to vulnerabilities and infamous breaches. Healthcare data thefts have become even more of a concern as more consumers turn to virtual telehealth appointments and other at-home, in-app tools to assess ailments.

Forward Health, a San Francisco-based preventive primary care startup that combines doctors and advanced medical technology, is focusing on safeguarding biometric data and sensitive information from cybercriminals. In this month’s Feature Story, Forward Health Co-Founder Robert Sebastian explains the measures that healthcare entities can deploy to prevent breaches

Deep Dive: How Digital ID Verification Can Meet HIPAA Regulations

While $18 billion was spent on cybersecurity last year, nearly 75 percent of the nation’s hospitals acknowledged they are unprepared to respond to a cyberattack. A survey of 705 organizations estimated 1,500 healthcare providers are vulnerable to data breaches of 500 records or more. That’s a 300 percent rise in the last year.

This month’s Deep Dive examines the challenges healthcare providers and systems face in safeguarding consumers’ information from fraudsters. It also details the digital ID verification solutions that can help them keep information safe while adhering to stringent regulations, particularly HIPAA requirements.

About The Tracker

The monthly Digital Identity Tracker®, a PYMNTS and Jumio collaboration, offers coverage of the most recent news and trends in the digital ID ecosystem.