by Felicien | Dec 13, 2018 | Education
Your employees may understand that they risk identity theft every time there’s a major cyber breach at a store they’ve patronized. But do they know that even more of their personal information is available to hackers via their employee benefits plans? It’s a risk that an increasing number of business owners and CEOs have had to confront. How to safeguard employee data — and avoid the significant expense of a managing a breach response — are just some of the questions that business leaders face around this issue.
Why are benefit plans so attractive to hackers?
Virtually any type of employee benefit plan is vulnerable to hackers. These include pension plans, health and welfare plans, and retirement savings accounts. All represent a rich source of personally identifiable information (PII).
First, hackers can gain access to the employee’s personal health information. Armed with that information, cyber thieves can do everything from file fraudulent insurance claims, get prescription medication, and even blackmail the employee.
Hackers may also gain access to the actual employment benefit accounts, potentially using the accrued amounts as fraudulent assets to obtain lines of credit under the employee’s name.
Of course, being able to completely steal the employee’s identity is one of the most concerning threats. And given that employee enrollment forms will have birthdates, email addresses, official residence addresses, and social security numbers — at a minimum — there’s a strong potential for wide-scale identity theft using the PII.
What makes the plans so vulnerable to hacking?
The average worker assumes that accessing his or her employer’s cash reserves and financial information would be the more attractive target than that of its employees. But a company is one entity and can move quickly to protect its holdings after a firewall is breached. A business’ large number of employees, however, represent better odds for a cyber attack. Even if many of them are able to protect their PII after a breach is discovered, the odds of capturing at least some employees’ personal data are still high.
Employee benefit planning is often handled by the third-party provider. And even when these plans are managed internally, the business may be using software that’s vulnerable to attack. For convenience, the employee plan programs are designed to be accessible to more than one agency or company, and by using different platforms.
Yet the same technology that makes the software so easy for multiple parties to access is also what can make it more vulnerable to cyber attack.
Why do employee benefit plan breaches keep happening?
Unfortunately, pension planners, insurance companies and other partner providers still rely on “old school” tech to stop hackers. While anti-virus software might be helpful to stop non-corporate cyber attacks, it’s not always up to the task of more sophisticated hackers.
Also, federal regulations don’t consider employee benefits information as sensitive as personal health records. For that reason, regulations aren’t as strong on the pension side of benefits as they are on the medical records aspect.
What can be done to protect your employees?
The threat to employee benefit plans information is ever-growing. But the good news is that business leaders can put several safeguards in place, protecting that information on several fronts.
If you use an outside provider to oversee your employee benefits programs, it’s essential to carefully examine what safeguards those partner providers have in place to protect the information they handle. If your own staff is handling the benefits program, it’s essential that they receive the most advanced and up-to-date training available. Even staffers proficient in software and administrative safeguards may not be aware of the latest viruses and scams by which hackers may gain entry.
Perhaps most crucially, you’ll need to set up a chain of command and strict protocol about how all information is handled. From your own IT specialists and human resources administrators to outside benefit plan providers, access should be limited to the scope of that department’s work. The more sensitive the information is, the fewer people should have access to it.
What’s the best way to implement these safeguards?
Hiring a reputable firm of cybersecurity experts will immediately put technological safeguards in place to protect employee PII. These experts can also train business leaders and relevant staffers about how to administer their employee benefits plans accounts safely — and how to select third-party benefit program providers that also put cybersecurity first.
by Felicien | Dec 12, 2018 | Education
WordPress 5.0 was just released to the public on December 6, 2018. According to WordPress’ blog, this new version of the go-to platform for small business websites and blogs will “revolutionize content editing with the introduction of a new block editor and block editor-compatible default theme Twenty Nineteen.” However, if you’re like most small business owners, you’ve been burned before by being a little too eager to try a new software product. Is WordPress 5.0 the amazing new upgrade that its creator is touting or should you wait until it’s been tested by others and worked out any bugs?
A little about WordPress 5.0
WordPress 5.0 changes the way users compose and publish pages. The new editing function will do things like allow you to “drag and drop” blocks of text, more easily insert videos and images and be able to preview what your page will look like throughout the creation process without having to toggle back and forth to a separate preview screen.
Upgrade or wait?
Whether you should upgrade immediately or not, in our opinion, depends on a few factors…
Is this your busy time of year? If you’re in the middle of a busy holiday retail season, this is clearly not the time to be potentially disrupting your revenue stream and impacting your customers’ user experience by updating to WordPress 5.0. In addition, you won’t have time to learn the new editor, play around with the new features and find the best ways 5.0 can work for you.
Are your plug-ins compatible with Gutenberg? Gutenburg is the driving force behind WordPress 5.0’s new editing functions. However, not all plug-ins are really to work with it. Make sure that you’ll be able to fully use the new WordPress functions before making the switch.
Do you really need 5.0? Will the new features of WordPress 5.0 really impact your business? If not, or if only marginally so, we suggest you pass or at least wait until spring.
To learn more about using whether WordPress 5.0 is right for you and your company and to learn ways to better your website’s user experience, contact your IT services team at {company} immediately by calling {phone} or dropping us an email at {email}.
by Felicien | Dec 12, 2018 | Education
New tech can be fun and fascinating, but most importantly it solves a need in a person’s life. If you’re trying to choose a Christmas gift for the techie in your life, consider the little problems they’ve been commenting about. Solve that problem with a new piece of technology and you’ll find an innovative holiday gift that won’t be quickly forgotten.
New Tech for Getting Fit
Fitness buffs are fascinated with recording results and improving their game. The new Fitbit Charge 3 will help them to do just that. This advanced fitness tracker includes a 24/7 heart rate monitor, a smart touchscreen, goal-based exercise modes, and smartphone notifications. Getting fit isn’t just about working out; eating right is also an important component. The Greater Goods Digital Food Scale will not only weigh food servings, but it also tells nutritional information for 2,000 built-in foods, tracks daily macro totals like fats, carbs, and calories, and adapts to your personal diet. For the most personal gift of all, give her the Muhdo genetic profiling kit. Once the profile has been done, Muhdo will do DNA testing and devise an artisan fitness and nutrition plan based on her personal genetic markers.
Tech for Increasing Productivity
Time seems increasingly short for both executives and independent business owners, so anything that increases productivity will improve both their bottom line and their attitude. With the Equil Smartpen 2, he can doodle, sketch, or take notes on any piece of paper that’s handy, then transfer it into digital form via the pen. If keeping track of keys or other objects is slowing down mornings, he’ll appreciate TrackR Stickers. They affix to any flat surface and will beep when activated by a smartphone app. Is lack of attention slowing her down in boring meetings? The Fidgi Pen has enough stealth fidget points to keep anyone alert during the latest budget overview. For anyone who spends massive amounts of time working elaborate programs, the Packed Pixels Multi Laptop Windows is a multi-window attachment for his laptop that turns it into a computer with three monitors.
Gadgets for Better Visuals
Photography is a growing hobby, and manufacturers have come up with a wide variety of great devices for both amateurs and professionals, alike. For the most casual user, the Amir Clip-On Smartphone Lens will turn any basic iPhone into a high-quality camera. He’ll shoot close-ups, wide angle shots, and super-clear portraits with this easily-attached lens collection. The FujiFilm Instax Minicamera is the hottest instant around in a generation. She can toss it in the office for impromptu group photos, or use it on road trips for ice-breaking sessions. For executives who unwind by going to the extremes, the Polaroid Cube+ is the ideal lifestyle action camera. He can attach it to a helmet, handlebars, a surfboard, or any other piece of sports equipment. For the more casual adventure photographer who never seems to remember a tripod, the Poying Bottle Mount will save the day. He can attach the mount to the bottom of any small camera, then screw the mount onto any commercial bottle of water. Instant tripod!
Tech That Upgrades the Home
Being at home should be as relaxing as possible, and these tech gifts make sure that happens. The iRobot Roomba automatically vacuums the floor by rolling around the house picking up dirt, then moves back to it’s home to charge up for the next trip. The NEST Hello doorbell’s ultra-clear camera shows everything that happens on your front porch. It’s 24/7 streaming HD video that’s always on, streaming both to your smartphone and straight to the cloud for safety. The Echo Plus smart home hub connects all your Internet of Things to form one intelligent, connected unit she can run from voice commands or a smartphone. And the VicTsing Bluetooth waterproof shower speaker adds incredible stereo sound for both invigorating morning showers and relaxing evening baths.
Tech For Relaxation
Everyone needs to have a little fun in their life, no matter how driven they are to succeed. New tech products make it easy to find new hobbies and enjoy small bits of free time throughout the day. Apple Airpods give excellent stereo sound in a wireless design. Airpods are always attached to Siri, to make your life even easier. The Retroduck Retro iPhone Dock turns your iPhone into a 60’s-style television that sits on your desk. It includes a stand and a trio of rabbit-ear antennas to complete the look. The Urban Outfitters Folding Massage Chair reminds you of aluminum lawn chairs on your grandparents’ lawn, but with a considerable upgrade. Your gift recipient will love the deep-tissue massage with three pressure settings and four massage modes.
by Felicien | Dec 12, 2018 | Education
Regardless of the money businesses invest in cybersecurity, technology is only part of the cybersecurity puzzle. Regardless of new hardware, updated software and the best IT support team, cybersecurity is an ongoing commitment. Cybersecurity must be on the minds of every employee every hour of every day.
A Chain Is Only As Strong As Its Weakest Link.
This idiom is attributed to Thomas Reid who wrote “Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man” in 1786. It first appeared in print in 1868 in the Cornhill Magazine. Simply put, it means that a group of people can only be as strong or successful as the weakest or least successful member.
Email is a favored method of cybercriminals – email is used to transmit ransomware, viruses and other harmful software.
Each email that each employee opens represents a cybersecurity threat. Only with a continuous and ongoing employee awareness program can you have an effective cybersecurity solution. It only takes one employee opening one email to expose your business to a cyber-attack.
Employees come and go – make sure that critical passwords are changed when an employee leaves. Be sure that new hires understand your cybersecurity policies and know to whom they should report potential risks.
What Can Businesses Do to Ensure Employees Don’t Pose a Security Risk?
First, ensure that you have a firewall, up-to-date anti-virus software and a spam filter. Always make sure that every new computer, laptop or tablet is up-to-date on these items before it is given to an employee.
Email 101. Teach email safety. These simple questions will help employees evaluate emails that originate from unknown senders.
Who is this email from? Virtually every email should be originating from a fellow employee, a supplier or a customer.
Why am I getting this email? Emails should relate to an employee’s job description.
Are attachments safe to open? Have you taught your employees how to decide what types of files are safe to open?
Does an email threaten to cancel a credit card or close an account if you don’t pay money? Employees need to understand this might be ransomware.
Is an email really from someone known? Teach employees how to spot suspicious “look-alike” email addresses.
Does anything just not seem right about an email? Neither the IRS nor the FBI sends emails to employees.
Continuing Education for your Employees. People are people, and they forget. Employees need ongoing training about email safety. Keep the training short and exciting to keep their attention.
Weekly mini sessions – perhaps by the department.
Utilize a speaker from your IT provider.
Weekly email “Cybersecurity Tip of the Week.”
Share actual case studies (specific to your industry is ideal).
Monthly E-newsletter – could be part of your IT partner’s service.
Simulated phishing attack conducted by your IT partner.
The Power of Human Error
In spite of educating your employees, human error accounts for almost 50 percent of data breaches. The accidental loss of a device or a misplaced document may be the cause of a severe security breach. Shred-It vice president Monu Kalsi observes that the smallest bad habits may result in substantial security risks. Examples include:
Leaving a work computer unsecured while on break or in a meeting.
Leaving sensitive documents out on a desk overnight.
Accidentally leaving sensitive documents on an airplane (the Homeland Security Super Bowl debacle).
Leaving sensitive documents within view of others in a public space.
Using public Wi-Fi.
Sharing company-issued computer with family or friends.
Draft a written policy to provide each employee who works remotely from home or when traveling.
Another potential source of human error may come from sub-contractors or vendors who have access to your facilities and/or employees. The Shred-It study showed that 20-25 percent of security breaches were caused by vendors. Ensure that when a vendor relationship ends that all ties are severed – change codes for keyed entrances when there is a vendor change.
Attention to small details may save your company lots of money.
The Bottom Line …
Employees are human. They make mistakes or commit errors in judgment. They also forget. Invest in updates for firewalls, security software and well-trained IT personnel. Regular cybersecurity training for your employees protects your business from damaging cyber-attacks.
Update policies. Incorporate a clean desk policy to prevent unauthorized copying or theft of critical document. Develop and institute a vendor policy and a remote employee policy.
Go paperless whenever possible. Invest in technology that scans essential documents into PDFs that are emailed to the owner of the document. Shred the document immediately after scanning.
Hard drive disposal. Destroy obsolete hard drives. Never throw them away because even deleted information can be retrieved by smart cybercriminals.
Lost device policy. Designate someone that employees can tell immediately if the equipment is lost or stolen.
by Felicien | Dec 11, 2018 | Education
Forms of mobile communications and their frequency of use in healthcare have increased significantly over the past decade, as they have across virtually all economic sectors. Today, hospitals support their medical care units with various kinds of modern communications technology. Of course, increased adoption and varieties of technology use in the healthcare industry comes with new challenges for healthcare professionals. That means new opportunities for technology services providers to collaborate with them on the development of insightful and thorough solutions.
Understanding the communications technology needs of modern healthcare providers and how to approach solutions to their unique challenges in clinical, administrative and remote contact environments yields a wealth of possibilities for new cross-applications of telecommunications tools.
Here is some information to help in collaborations to facilitate the quickest and most effective, convenient, and secure communications at every turn for physicians, nurses, administrators and other healthcare industry professionals.
Mobile Policies and Adoption Levels in Healthcare Organizations
These days, mobile policies are not yet fully adopted and enforced across many large healthcare institutions. Others have advanced much farther down the path to optimizing their organizations’ communications systems and utilization practices. Some are even developing their patient-care and patient-relations protocols to extend the use of mobile technology to enable more accessible and thorough information sharing with patients.
The news may seem to be a pretty mixed bag, regarding the progress of communications across the healthcare sector. But, the overriding reality is that overall utilization rates of mobile technologies across the industry have multiplied over the past ten years.
There are challenges in developing viable cellular and Wi-Fi infrastructures, and special security issues are brought on by “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) allowances in many organizations that are otherwise on exceptionally cautious about information systems security. Nevertheless, BYOD practices are increasingly used in even some relatively sensitive information handling in healthcare systems. There are additional issues of mobile policy and generally lacking mobile strategies that present both significant problems and opportunities for healthcare organizations and mobile services consultants.
Altogether, mobile devices have become a standard tool throughout the healthcare industry, now used in roles spanning the entire broad field of specializations, including by physicians, nurses, medical technicians, other clinicians, lab managers, executives, pharmacists, healthcare business analysts, social workers, patient services reps, risk management professionals and healthcare IT staff.
Mobile Strategies Across Today’s Healthcare Industry
Strategies for mobile communications implementation must involve formalizing an organization’s policies on technologies, security, and forms of communication permitted in various healthcare contexts and for various purposes. Of course, each healthcare organization has its own variation on ordinary policy allowances, restrictions, and other entailments based on the unique needs of their team’s healthcare activities.
Healthcare organization policies on mobile devices and their use should actually be understood as representing an integral component of comprehensive strategies for delivery of more efficient, higher-quality healthcare, to improve both patients’ and healthcare providers’ levels of satisfaction with their experience in the healthcare system. Mobile strategies that serve these over-arching goals are naturally more successful, such as devices that automatically alert doctors and nurses and improve response time.
Establishing policies that set forth controls, in combination with built-in auto-controls for HIPAA compliance, among others, protect patients as well as healthcare organizations and their employees from exposure of patient data and other security issues. With the IoT now accounting for seemingly countless devices connected through worldwide networks, unapproved access and cyber-crime are ever-more common, impactful to operations, and costly to resolve.
HealthIT.gov advises that healthcare organizations’ mobile use policies include safeguards for patients’ health information in language that specifies requirements for management of mobile devices and that is clear on restrictions of device use and training requirements for users. It further emphasizes the importance of clarifying security settings requirements, and other recommended mobile device policies. It also offers much useful information on current health IT developments, regulations and information resources.
Healthcare Industry Mobile Technology Transition
The most recent Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) (2017) survey asked patients questions about the responsiveness of hospital staff during their treatment. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) also asks such questions of patients in their information gathering programs used in the agency’s evaluations of healthcare institutions. Healthcare organizations are sensitive to these particular reviews and understand the need to work to improve the patient experience to prevent the risk of CMS resistance to reimbursements and other dreaded consequences of issues with responsiveness to patients’ needs.
So, it makes sense, just based on those concerns, that hospitals are now implementing mobile policies for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare team members who provide direct care to patients. Increasing efforts around clarification of types of workflows that can be safely and effectively managed using mobile devices point to a growing preference for maximal utilization of these tools to facilitate work that directly affects patients’ overall satisfaction with the care they receive.
Updating Mobile Strategy in Healthcare Systems
As in any type of organization, strategic plans must be revised to accommodate new alternatives. Mobile strategies in healthcare organizations require updates to include newly discovered concepts for improving methods to satisfy needs of patients and of technology users on staff, for modifications of clinical process flows, for adopting new technologies that come on the market, and so on.
Today, changes of software and devices are happening at rates with which few other technologies in hospitals are keeping pace. Commensurately, mobile strategies and policies should be reviewed routinely, to be sure that they are appropriate for current patient care processes and technology solutions available on the market.
A large majority of healthcare organizations now utilize smartphones and internet-enabled phones. Onsite pagers, wide-area pagers and encrypted pagers have declined in popularity, with the increasing use of mobile phones. Tablets in clinical settings and in various patient communications contexts are gradually increasing in use.
Updating your organization’s mobile strategy to increase the efficiency of the healthcare delivery process empowers technology-enabled clinical and administrative teams to implement needed mobile security and compliance changes. It also enables or facilitates their efforts to:
Improve their effectiveness in meeting the needs of patients.
Streamline clinical workflows.
Overcome challenges in full-scope mobile adoption.
Expand their capabilities through applicable consumer apps.
Phase out out-moded systems with new technologies.
Acquire new capabilities that complement EHR applications.
Incorporate new mobile technologies already on the market.
Make changes that better support the organization’s financial sustainability.
Mobile Technology Challenges and Solutions
Even the best and most secure devices are only as good as the network connection upon which their users must rely for access to critical information and to communicate with other members of the team. However, reliable Wi-Fi coverage continues to cause the most frequent issues for mobile users in healthcare institutions, followed by cellular coverage. Managing compliance and data security are others of the most common difficulties.
Undependable connectivity can result in issues of patient safety if a doctor or nurse does not receive critical information when needed. Further, frustrations can lead to attrition among healthcare team members forced to continuously find ways to work around technology deficiencies to complete essential processes in patient care.
Technology challenges must be resolved with permanent solutions. However, hospitals with connectivity problems may not have performed a comprehensive assessment of their wireless coverage, or have pursued remediation.
For those institutions, correcting these essential technology performance issues is an area of opportunity to improve the quality of their organization’s overall experience for patients and families and healthcare workers. Solutions that can be explored to enhance network coverage for Wi-Fi, cellular or/and paging may include:
Mapping weak signal spots, and pursue options to increase coverage.
Add more antennas, repeaters, or other reception devices.
Boosting Wi-Fi connections/increasing coverage.
Installing more Wi-Fi and various repeater access points.
Upgrading routers.
Extending distributed antenna systems (DAS).
Adding more cell towers to accommodate hospitals (to include all major cell service carriers)
Amplifying the RF signal for pagers.
Additional Mobile Technology Opportunities and Challenges in Healthcare
Secure Texting — Secure texting has become an essential communications component in many healthcare organizations. It can be especially valuable when fully integrated to utilize directories, scheduling, lab reporting and other operational systems needed in time-sensitive situations. Hospitals that are still not using this tool appear to be missing an opportunity to significantly increase efficiency in critical moments. Note: Be aware of legislated restrictions on patient care information that can and cannot be shared by secure text. Also know about requirements, such as secure sign-on (SSO), messaging encryption, and others that are applicable in some healthcare industry contexts.
Security Advancements — Keeping protected health information (PHI) secure continues to be one of the top concerns for every healthcare organization. All are aware by now of the risks of costly downtime due to security breaches, potential data exposure or loss, viruses and ransom incidents. At the 2019 Health IT Conference (HIMSS18) discussions were centered on actively preparing for cyber-attacks, instead of on preventive measures, as in the past.
A major component of a PHI security program is successfully managing device security. Relying only on policy adherence and employee education invites security issues. Going forward, healthcare IT consultants should be collaborating with client organizations on mobile security solutions, as a priority.
Patient and Family Use of Mobile Tools — Many hospitals now provide personal portals for their patients to use for receiving everything from lab test results to billing statements. Some physicians even incorporate the setup of portal access and review of its information features during patients’ visits.
Benefits of Mobile Communications in Healthcare
The number and variety of mobile devices used by healthcare team members these days make it clear enough that the technology has become an essential tool for collaboration and coordination of patient care. The value of mobile technology tools for healthcare team members efforts to improve the quality of patient care include:
More efficient collaboration between clinical staff members.
Faster access to information at critical times.
Immediate awareness and faster response to alerts.
Improved safety.
Convenient access to EHR.
Convenient access to reference materials.
Increased overall efficiency for doctors and nurses.
Better outcomes resulting from increased efficiency.
Enhanced patient experience with 24/7 access to information.
The Near Future of Disruptive Healthcare Industry IT
Even as many healthcare institutions are still trying to fully incorporate already proven technologies into their processes in ways that fully realize the advantages they offer, newer technologies await broader adoption.
Since the advent of the revolutionary electronic health record (EHR), new technologies recognized for their potential to further change the way healthcare is delivered in the U.S. over the next several years include:
Secure texting
Smartphones
Security (anti-virus, hacking, ransomware)
Auto-alerts
Increased cellular coverage and reduced latency (5G)
Google Glass
Real-time information access via portals for patients
Increased patient engagement in their healthcare
Artificial intelligence
Telemonitoring
Video phone communications
Teleconferencing
Internet of Things (IoT)
Voice-controlled virtual assistants (ex: Alexa®)
These and other new technologies will further increase efficiency in working with patients and allow healthcare teams to work together more closely, with everyone on the team receiving essential information simultaneously. Teams can make better decisions and take more fully-considered actions, through improved opportunities for consultation and collaboration. Caregivers will have more time to spend with their patients. Patients and families can receive more timely and complete updates.
Keeping Pace with Changes in Healthcare Communications
Throughout the process of healthcare delivery, today’s healthcare professionals and organizations have endless opportunities to leverage mobile communication technologies to improve outcomes for patients. Many healthcare organizations have already made significant progress in integrating mobile technologies and overcoming the attendant challenges.
Still, there are many problems to be resolved. Unreliable cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity can discourage broader adoption and can even lead to safety issues. Functionally, the usefulness and benefits of advanced mobile communication technologies, with their capacity to capture details from directories, schedules, test results, etc., and to auto-send clinical alerts, and so much more are severely reduced by the connectivity problem. These issues can seriously impact patient care and PPI security, which fact makes diligently updating mobile policy documentation and validating training on updates as they are made a continual imperative.
As the use of mobile devices has revolutionized the way people live and communicate throughout modern society, healthcare team members have developed now very familiar skills in working with those technologies, which they can adeptly apply to workplace challenges.
To enable the safest and fullest application of the many new opportunities for improving healthcare methods and practices through mobile technology, healthcare institutions must continue to more completely iterate policies that define appropriate usage of mobile technologies in the healthcare environment. They must also, of course, diligently monitor to ensure that technology usage does not become an obstacle to optimum patient care through face-to-face interaction.
Mobile technology is now a permanent fixture in the healthcare industry. Therefore, healthcare organizations must align their primary goals with their staff members’ modes of communicating in the care of patients.
Disruptive new mobile technologies will continue to present vast opportunities and significant challenges for healthcare team members and organizations. The perspective to keep is that these state-of-the-art technologies are incomparably powerful communication and information tools for healthcare team members to use in their daily efforts to provide optimum quality care for their patients.
