We are protecting your valuable data

By Kristin Jenkins, President of the DFW Hospital Council Foundation

Last year seemed to be filled with stories about healthcare data breaches. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Healthcare Information Technology (ONC), more than 113 million individuals were affected by breaches in 2015, with hacking comprising nearly all of the incidents. In comparison, between 2011 and 2014 hacking incidents affected less than 4 million people.

So what gives? I can only estimate, but what I can say is overall, all entities must regularly review data security and ensure they do not have protection gaps with the adoption of new technologies. HIPAA compliance is paramount, regardless of an organization’s size. However, it’s important to adopt measures that suit a company’s needs. Comprehensive employee training is crucial in helping you stay secure.

For the DFW Hospital Council (DFWHC) Foundation, 2016 is like any other year in that we continuously strengthen our data security. The patient information housed in our data warehouses is guarded by staff 24/7 and monitored in a secure environment based in North Texas. Our IT team constantly enhances security for maximum protection. External “fire drills” to penetrate our valuable data are regularly conducted to test the DFWHC Foundation’s numerous security levels. Are we Fort Knox? Well, yes we are.

The DFWHC Foundation is proud to have received confirmation of compliance to the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) from an independent audit firm in both 2014 and 2015. FISMA’s rigorous guidelines, as developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), outline security standards to protect the nation’s information technology infrastructure.

FISMA compliance creates premium security while establishing a level of constant due diligence. This is just one way the DFWHC Foundation continues on a daily basis to keep your patients’ data safe and secure.

For information on FISMA standards, please visit the NIST’s Publications page by clicking here.