Healthcare IT News - September 2007 - (Page 50)

50 Healthcare IT News ■ September 2007 management solutions www.HealthcareITNews.com is healthcare leaving its guard down? Hospitals need to learn how to shield patient data. By JOHN ANdReWS, Contributing Writer u NDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES would the U.S. Treasury let new currency leave the mint without being surrounded by armed guards and an armored truck. Yet personal data – as valuable as gold to identity thieves – is often left defenseless as it travels across the Internet and other communication lines outside “i wish i could say the state of the hospital, IT information security in hospitals is security officials say. great, but we haven’t found a lot of Despite state organizations that are taKing it and federal regseRiouslY enougH Yet.” ulations requiring encryption – Ellen Libenson for external data transfer, to do so, says Ellen Libenson, vice president many hospitals still haven’t felt the urgency of product marketing for Agoura Hills, Calif.- Compute the value Of Preventing Medical Errors Of Killing Bugs and Stopping Viruses Of Improving Patient Safety IT saves lives at John Muir Health IT Group We have long been a leader in integrated information systems and preservation of the integrity of patient data. Now, we are leading the transition to mobile and wireless information systems that will directly impact patient care. Wouldn’t you like to use your skills to make that kind of difference? We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. e ● Connect: JoHNMUir 0907 johnmuirhealth.com/it Administrative Director for Information Technology (CIO) Phelps County Regional Medical Center Rolla, Missouri Beacon Partners has been retained by Phelps County Regional Medical Center to identify and evaluate candidates for the position of Administrative Director for Information Technology (CIO). The Position The CIO directs and leads information technology strategy, implementation and operations for the Medical Center, and is a member of the Medical Center’s senior management team. The position reports to the CFO/COO and has three Assistant Directors as direct reports, who in turn manage a team of 25+ highly skilled IT professionals. A key aspect of the position is working collaboratively with executives, department managers and medical staff on a wide range of IT-related initiatives. The CIO manages an ambitious portfolio of information technology-related projects, and is responsible for evaluating, planning, deploying, and managing all aspects of the Medical Center’s Information Technology investments, including technical infrastructure, personnel, vendor services, support services, operating budget and capital budgets. The Organization Phelps County Regional Medical Center is a 234-bed community hospital located in Rolla, Missouri. The Medical Center provides a comprehensive set of health services including state-of-the-art oncology, non-invasive cardiology, behavioral health, home health and outreach laboratory services. The Medical Center is consistently ranked above average for clinical quality and patient satisfaction – and, Phelps is a “100 Most Wired” hospital for 2007. The Community Rolla Missouri is the home of the University of Missouri-Rolla, a leading technology research university. Rolla’s 17,000 residents (plus 5,800 students) enjoy a safe, clean, family-friendly environment in one of the “100 Best Small Towns in America.” This growing community on the edge of the Ozarks boasts a robust economy, quality schools, affordable housing and numerous leisure and outdoor recreational opportunities. Requirements Four years of information technology management, with at least two years in healthcare, is required, as is a Bachelor’s degree. The ideal candidate will be an experienced, strategic-minded information technology manager with strong communication and project management skills. Candidates with clinical systems experience and familiarity with the MEDITECH system are strongly preferred. To Apply Interested candidates, please submit resumes to: CIO Recruitment, Beacon Partners, 97 Libbey Parkway, Suite 310, Weymouth, MA 02189 781-337-8469 fax CIOrecruitment@beaconpartners.com Beacon Partners has been retained by Phelps County Regional Medical Center to identify and evaluate candidates for the position of Administrative Director for Information Technology (CIO). Healthcare IT News 9/1/2007 258731-LA39040 JOHMUH 7” x 4.875” Wendy DeHaas v.2 based Symark Software. “I wish I could say the state of information security in hospitals is great, but we haven’t found a lot of organizations that are taking it seriously enough yet,” she said. “They find the consequences aren’t grave enough, the fines aren’t high enough. They would rather take their chances.” There is a widespread perception in the provider community that data encryption technology is costly and disruptive and that the risk of patient data being intercepted by identity thieves is low. Those impressions are way off, security experts say, as many encryption and other protection devices are inexpensive and simple to install. Moreover, identity thieves view healthcare facilities “as a fertile farm” for data harvesting, Libenson said. “Blocks of data are easy to grab and sell,” she said. “It’s amazing how much data you see that is still stored in clear text. Encryption is more important than ever, with advanced encryption being ideal.” Jim Doherty, chief marketing officer and vice president for Raleigh, N.C.-based CipherOptics, agrees that unencrypted data is “extremely vulnerable …whether over lines you don’t own or even within those you do.” One of the most troubling aspects of cyber crime, Doherty said, is the ability of Jim Doherty hackers to intercept data from a transmission without alerting anyone and leaving no tangible indication of the theft. “It’s not like water traveling through a pipeline where if someone is siphoning it off you notice on the other end,” he said. The need for safeguarding data has escalated as the healthcare industry’s “inexhaustible appetite for bandwidth” has grown, said Eric Bozich, vice president of IP connectivity and security solutions for Denver-based Qwest Communications. Sophisticated radiology systems with high-resolution images need roomier network channels and thus require the Eric Bozich beefed-up security of multiprotocol label switching for shared network services, he said. “MPLS servers provide a high level of privacy and security,” Bozich said. “It is a new generation way to provide a network service at an economical rate. It helps hospital networks meet bandwidth needs (and) improve efficiencies and cost effectiveness.” insiDe tHReat Usually the biggest threat to data security comes from inside the organization, either from corrupt employees or lax user screening procedures, system vendors say. “A lot of attention is being paid to enabling access,” said John Grimm, director of market strategy for Framingham, Mass.-based Courion. “We’re in the identity management market so we’re about letting the right people in to do what they’re supposed to do.” Because healthcare is a heterogeneous environment, Grimm acknowledges that it can be complicated to get each staff member the necessary clearance for every authorized domain. “New physicians can spend weeks and months in line for all the applications they IdeNTITy see page 51 e ● Connect: LaSerFiCHe 0907 e ● Connect: BeaCoN 0907 http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=7741 http://johnmuirhealth.com/it http://johnmuirhealth.com/it http://www.laserfiche.com/HIT http://www.laserfiche.com/HIT http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=7743 http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=7742

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare IT News - September 2007

Contents Alaska Sweep SiCKO Debate Data Exchange Rx EDITH knows Hold That Script IT in the Sun Breathing Easy IT on the Menu Ambulatory EMRs Identity Crisis

Healthcare IT News - September 2007

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