Key Points

• In 2023, an average of 373,788 healthcare records were breached daily, highlighting the critical need for solid data protection measures.
• Sensitive healthcare data such as Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Payment Card Information (PCI), genetic and biometric data, research data, and patient communications all require stringent security measures.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools like Metomic can help healthcare organisations secure sensitive data by automating data discovery, enforcing access control policies, and ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations like HIPAA and GDPR.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what types of healthcare data need to be protected, and tell you how to protect and secure healthcare data using modern DLP monitoring techniques and software.

What is DLP?

DLP stands for Data Loss Prevention. It’s a comprehensive strategy, including tools and processes, used by organisations to protect sensitive data such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI).

If a company has a DLP strategy in place, they’re able to effectively monitor sensitive data in their environment, ensuring it isn’t shared with unauthorised users, or stored in insecure locations. Not only does this prevent data being leaked or breached, it can also help organisations comply with industry regulations.

What type of healthcare data needs to be protected?

There are a few different types of data that need to be protected in healthcare settings, and the highly sensitive nature of patient information means it requires extra security measures to ensure confidentiality.

Healthcare organisations will need to put protections in place for:

1. PHI

Information that can identify a patient such as their name, address, phone number, or Social Security number as well as medical records including diagnoses, test results, and prescribed medications, all constitute Protected Health Information (PHI).

2. PII

Separately, personal information like a date of birth, email address, or anything that can identify a person is classed as Personally Identifiable Information (PII). When this information is paired with medical information, it can become PHI.

3. PCI

PCI, or Payment Card Information, includes credit card numbers, and bank account details that healthcare providers may collect in order to administer treatment or medical advice. Health insurance information such as policy numbers and claims data must also be kept confidential.

4. Genetic information and biometric data

Any data that relates to genetic tests or family medical history is classed as genetic information, while biometric data includes data such as fingerprints or facial recognition. Both of these types of data must be protected by healthcare organisations, particularly if they’re complying with GDPR which recognises this information as ‘special category’ data.

5. Research data

If a healthcare organisation is conducting clinical research, data surrounding trials, and research participant information must be kept confidential.

6. Communications

Any emails or messages exchanged between patients and healthcare professionals that contain sensitive data must also be protected to maintain patient confidentiality.

What are the challenges of keeping healthcare data secure?

There are a number of challenges to keeping sensitive patient data secure, and with healthcare becoming the most targeted industry when it comes to cyberattacks, organisations need to be especially vigilant.

Healthcare professionals are contending with extensive, often outdated systems, that are interconnected across hospitals, clinics, and third-party providers. This wider attack surface of legacy systems leaves vulnerabilities for hackers to take advantage of.

Depending on the organisation’s geographical location, there will also be healthcare regulations they will need to adhere to, such as HIPAA in the US, and GDPR in the UK and Europe. Failing to comply can result in severe penalties and loss of trust, so it’s up to staff to understand what is required of them, and to keep up with any new changes in legislation.

One of the biggest challenges any organisation faces is the risk of human error. With 82% of cybersecurity incidents involving a human element, employees must be aware of the responsibility they have when it comes to protecting healthcare data. Training in healthcare data security is essential, particularly around phishing attacks which can be extremely detrimental for healthcare organisations.

Security teams battling with these challenges may already be operating on tight budgets, and with limited resources, making it even more difficult to prevent data being leaked or breached from the business. Add to this the sheer volume of healthcare data, including unstructured data like medical images and notes, and you can understand why many healthcare organisations may be struggling to manage the challenges in their path.

📝Report: Healthcare Data Crisis - Uncovering the Alarming Gaps in Data Security and Compliance

In our Healthcare Data Crisis report, we share new data - gathered through our data security platform - that highlights how insecure file-sharing practices are exposing large amounts of sensitive data.

You’ll discover:

• The critical security gaps in healthcare organisations’ file-sharing practice, including the fact that 25% of publicly shared files in healthcare organisations contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII). 

• The common file-sharing mistakes being made by healthcare employees that are bringing about these security risks.
• How a Data Loss Prevention solution like Metomic can pinpoint where sensitive data is located and who has access to it, and automate the necessary actions to safeguard any exposed data.

What are the regulations for keeping healthcare data secure?

Depending on where the healthcare organisation is based, and where their patients are located, there are multiple healthcare regulations to follow. All of them are aimed at ensuring confidentiality for patients, and safeguarding sensitive data.

These include:

1. US - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

HIPAA establishes national standards for the protection of PHI, limiting the use and disclosure of PHI without patient consent. Organisations complying with HIPAA must put administrative, physical, and technical safeguards in place, such as access controls, encryption, and audit controls.

2. US - Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act

The HITECH Act expands the scope of HIPAA's privacy and security rules, increases penalties for non-compliance, and introduces new breach notification requirements. It also promotes the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and improves privacy and security protections for ePHI.

3. EU - General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

GDPR requires that personal data, including health data, be processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently. It also mandates data minimisation, accuracy, and storage limitation. Patients must give explicit consent for the processing of their health data, except in certain situations such as public health emergencies. Individuals have the right to access, correct, and delete their data, as well as the right to data portability.

4. UK - Data Protection Act 2018

This Act supplements GDPR in the UK, providing a legal framework for data protection, including special provisions for health data. It also offers a Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) which is a self-assessment tool for healthcare organisations to ensure compliance with data protection standards, including GDPR and the Data Protection Act.

How can a DLP solution like Metomic be used to secure healthcare data?

A DLP solution like Metomic can be instrumental in securing healthcare data by helping organisations monitor, control, and protect sensitive information, such as PHI.

Here’s how:

1. Automated Data Discovery: Metomic can automatically scan and identify sensitive healthcare data across SaaS applications, classifying data based on predefined rules.
2. Real-time Labelling: Tag and label sensitive data in real-time, ensuring that it’s handled according to regulatory requirements.
3. Access Control Policies: Metomic can enforce strict access control policies, ensuring that only authorised personnel can access sensitive healthcare data. It can also track who accesses the data, when, and for what purpose, helping to keep unauthorised users out.
4. Compliance Alignment: Metomic can be configured to enforce compliance with regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, or other relevant standards by ensuring that healthcare data is handled according to legal requirements.
5. Automated Remediation: In case of a detected violation, Metomic can automatically take corrective actions, such as revoking access, quarantining data, or notifying affected parties.
6. User Training: Metomic can be used to educate users on the importance of data security by flagging risky behaviours (e.g. attempting to share sensitive data inappropriately) and providing immediate feedback or training prompts.

See it live

Experience a live walkthrough of our Metomic platform with one of our data security experts, and see how we can help you detect and protect sensitive data within your SaaS environment.