Currently, questions of health information security and medical privacy are of utmost importance in the United States. Hardly a day goes by that we do not see a featured article or publication about some aspect of medical privacy, or a story about a security breach.
HIMSS has created a Privacy and Security Steering Committee to guide implementation of strategic initiatives that promote the privacy and security of healthcare information and management systems. This Committee has set the following goal: "By 2014, all entities who use, send, or store health information meet requirements for confidentiality, integrity, availability and accountability based on sound risk management practices, using recognized standards and protocols."
In support of this goal, HIMSS has launched several work groups that are actively involved with industry changing activities to achieve this goal.
Annual HIMSS Security Survey Now Available NEW!
HIMSS, working with HIMSS Analytics, has conducted a survey of healthcare organizations regarding security implementation practices and technology uses.
The HIMSS Security Survey, sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, was conducted to provide the industry with a source of trend data on the implementation of security in healthcare as well as to provide information on new and emerging threats such as medical identity theft.
Survey Results Highlights:
Risk Assessment: Three quarters of the 155 senior level IT and security executives responding to the new HIMSS Annual Security Survey reported that their organization routinely conducts formal risk analyses to evaluate the risks to patient data either housed in or moved through their organization. Approximately half noted that this type of risk analysis is conducted at least once a year, if not more frequently.
Percent of IT Budget Spent on Security: More than half of respondents (57percent) reported that their organization dedicates less than three percent of the overall IT budget to information security.
Read the HIMSS Security Survey Report for full survey results.
Privacy Impact Assessment Guide Now Available NEW!
The Privacy Impact Assessment Work Group has developed a guidance white paper that addresses the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) process for use by healthcare provider organizations. This process can be leveraged when the storage and processing of individually identifiable health information needs to be evaluated for privacy and security impact throughout the life cycle of a system, product or project, or when a privacy–focused risk assessment is needed for sharing or exchanging information with other organizations or agencies.
Please send us your comments on the PIA Guide.
The link to the paper is here
Frequently Asked Questions - HIMSS Acquisition of Government Health IT
Frequently Asked Questions - HIMSS Acquisition of Government Health IT
HIMSS Acquires Key Federal Health Sector Media
HIMSS announces its acquisition of Government Health IT, a set of multi-media titles focused on government health information technology (IT) and its related activities in this sector, from 1105 Media, Inc..
