In a World of Increasing Vulnerability to Cyber Attacks: Are You Protected?

June 29, 2017

Compliance Services

Healthcare Information Technology

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced Tuesday, June 27, that another international ransomware attack occurred and may be affecting Healthcare and Public Health Sectors. The malware is known as GoldenEye or Petya and Ukraine was ground zero for the infection. The attacked shut down important infrastructure including central banks, airports, metro transport, and even the Chernobyl power plant. The ransomware payout method was different and more complex than the typical payout method and the decryption keys to restore networks failed. The differences surrounding the payout are leading analysts to ask an uncomfortable question. Was money the point of this specific global attack or was this a national state attack that spread to other nations? This once again is a humble reminder of our increasing vulnerability as we continue to share data across multiple third party vendors in different states and perhaps different countries. Between this current Petya attack and last month’s WannaCry, it is estimated there has been a total $8 billion dollar global economic loss. It is more important than ever before to ensure your networks are behind properly configured firewalls, your emails are protected with intuitive spam filters, and above all else each individual user behind a keyboard is aware of how to protect your network from malicious intrusion.

If you have questions about your healthcare organization’s security, or know security improvements are needed please contact Coker Group to speak with one of our healthcare cybersecurity specialists.

Social Share

Contributors

Jeffery Daigrepont

Senior Vice President

Share this post

Related Insights

View All Insights

3 Critical Elements for Building an Effective Human Firewall

5 Fatal IT Vendor Contract Mistakes

Prevent devastating consequences that can adversely impact the company.

Why is a Fair Market Value/Commercial Reasonableness Opinion Important for Value-Based Enterprises?

FMV/CR documentation ensures market and economic reasonability.

Major Changes to Split/Shared Billing Affect Advanced Practice Providers and Physicians

6 key effects of the split/shared billing changes.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare: How is it Changing Healthcare and What are the Ramifications?

Coker Group Telehealth Survey

Mitigating Organizational Stress

COVID-19 Telehealth Privacy and Security Concerns

Is there a Looming Physician Shortage and What does it Mean?

Healthcare Cybersecurity – Where are You Vulnerable?

Telemedicine: Leveraging Technology to Deliver High-Value Healthcare Services

The Keyword for Hospitals: Track Documentation of Physician Community Need Before Recruiting Physicians

Key Points About Risk Adjustment of Quality and Cost Data

Planning and Managing Provider Compensation: A Checklist-Based Approach

Streamline provider compensation management with actionable steps to improve compliance and transparency.

Cybersecurity Tips

Physician Compensation Plan Design: The Basics Make a Difference

Physician Community Need Assessments in the Age of Employment

Pursuing a Comprehensive Compensation Plan for Your Executive Leadership Team

Coker Group has added Brandt Jewell as a Senior Vice President to lead their Physician Services Group

Clinical Integration: The First Step in Moving Toward Value-Based Reimbursement

Is Information Technology a Competitive Necessity or a Competitive Advantage?

Cybersecurity Lessons from 2016 and Trends for 2017

A Strategic Systematic Approach to Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA): A Living Plan for Your Community's Health Improvement

Employed Physician Network Turnarounds

COVID-19 FRAUD ALERT

Leveraging Medicare Annual Wellness Visits for Chronic Disease Identification and Prevention

Tap into the Power of Medicare AWVs for Early Detection of Chronic Illness

The Aging Physician Workforce

Is Your EHR Company Holding Your Patient Data Hostage?

EHR companies may charge an excessive fee to retrieve your patients’ data.

CMS Issues 2023 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule

The conversion factor will decrease by 4.5%.

Front-End Patient Collections: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Is Your Risk Analysis Thorough and Accurate?

A gap analysis does not provide a comprehensive view of security processes.

Five Tips to Keep Your Data Safe

When and How to Convert to Another EHR System

Is your EHR at the end of its useful life?

What is Compliance Program Effectiveness?

Boards must retain a compliance expert to perform an effectiveness review.

Case Study: Leveraging Technology During a Pandemic

The Intersection of Compliance and Fair Market Value: Are You Sure Your Arrangements Coincide?

Coding Compliance and WRVUS: What Lurks Beneath the Surface?

HHS Announces Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule

Bridging the Gap from Fee-For-Service to Fee-For-Value (Without Losing Your Mind)

It’s Always a Good Time to Clean Up Your Vendor Contracts

Contracts can renew automatically without permission or approval.

Recognizing and Mitigating Key Areas of Risk

Post-Pandemic Crisis Affiliation: Which Way is Up?

Conflict Management and Successful Leadership

Is Your Healthcare IT Up To Par? Why IT Assessments are Beneficial

Navigating the New Normal of a Post-Pandemic World

2021 E/M Coding Changes: What Healthcare Professionals Need to Know

COVID-19 Pandemic Exposes Vulnerabilities in Healthcare Organizations (Part 2)

Lawmakers Grapple with Artificial Intelligence Regulation as Popularity and Utilization Grow

ChatGPT could improve providers' productivity

Burning Platforms: Common Characteristics and Considerations for Employed Provider Network (EPN) Turnarounds

Is the [Compliance] Program Being Applied Earnestly and in Good Faith?

Practice Management Basics: A Healthy Revenue Cycle Begins Up Front

American Medical Association Releases 2023 E/M Updates

These changes will take effect on January 1, 2023.

Does the Corporation’s Compliance Program Work in Practice?

The Dangers of an Unstable IT Infrastructure

Fair Market Value: Assessing Compensation Arrangements in the Healthcare Industry

5 Mistakes Covered Entities and Business Associates Made During a Security Risk Analysis

Do Hospitals that Employ their Physicians Need a Community Need Assessment?

Provider Compensation in Rural Markets: Top 5 Lessons Learned

Comprehensive Executive Search Should Include Leadership Cultural Assessment

Healthcare Cybersecurity Threats and Trends for 2018

CrowdStrike Outage Impacts US Healthcare: Protecting Healthcare Organizations

Protect Your Healthcare Organization from IT Disruptions: Learn from the CrowdStrike Outage

Trinity Hunt Partners Establishes Healthcare Advisory Platform with Investment in Coker

Trinity Hunt will work closely with Coker’s skilled team to facilitate expansion.

EHR-to-EHR Conversions: There’s a Lot to Know!

Physician Compensation Governance: Building a Good Foundation

Smoothing the Rough Spots in Patient Flow in Outpatient Practices

What Does It Mean for a Compliance Program to Be Effective?

Navigating the Digital Transformation Maze in Healthcare

Insights from the 2024 Becker's IT + Digital Health + RCM Conference

Establishing Objective Evidence for Physician Needs Assessments

A Reflection on Coding and Compliance Changes

Information Blocking Compliance: What do Healthcare Providers Need to Know?

Can Hospitals Compete with Private Equity in Attracting Physician Group Deals?

Let’s Talk about Why Qualitative Information Matters in Your Physician Needs Assessment

The medical community's input and health system leadership can be vital to a comprehensive physician needs assessment.

Healthcare Consulting Firm, Coker, Announces Acquisition of NorthGauge Healthcare Advisors

Using Market Data to Establish Sustainable Physician Compensation Models

Key Issues and Guidance for Hospitals and Medical Groups during the COVID 19 Pandemic

Relationship Status with Productivity-Based Compensation: It's Complicated

2021 Offers New Opportunities Amid Healthcare Regulation Changes

Is Your Corporate Compliance Program Well-Designed?

Best Practices for Developing Employed Provider Compensation Plans

Why Every Healthcare Organization Needs a CIO

Compliance Risk Mitigation in Healthcare Mergers & Acquisitions

Assess the Health of Your Practice Operations

Is Your Telehealth Solution HIPAA Compliant?

Telehealth enforcement discretion ends May 11, 2023

Do Qualitative Factors Matter in Determining Physician Need?

COVID-19 Pandemic Exposes Vulnerabilities in Healthcare Organizations (Part 1)

The Ugly Truth About the New 2021 E/M Changes

2021 Evaluation and Management (E/M) guidelines is one of the biggest changes to physician billing and coding.

Going Beyond EHR: Leveraging AI and Digital Transformation Strategies

Unlocking the Future of Healthcare: How AI and Digital Transformation Enhance EHR Capabilities

In a World of Increasing Vulnerability to Cyber Attacks: Are You Protected?

The Office of Inspector General to Audit the Effectiveness of the Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights

OIG to assess compliance with HIPAA security requirements.

wRVUS: Are yours accurate?

8 Information Blocking Exceptions You Need to Know

It is not considered Information Blocking if these exceptions are met.