Improve Patient Care or Keep Data Secure in Healthcare? Yes.

The rapid evolution of the healthcare landscape is nothing short of revolutionary. Technological innovations such as mobile health apps, wearable devices, and AI are transforming how care is delivered. Regulatory shifts, changing consumer demographics, cutting-edge research, landmark policies like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the push towards outcomes-based reimbursement have raised the stakes for healthcare organizations.

Embracing technology in this dynamic environment is crucial, particularly in terms of data security in healthcare. Whether it’s tapping into data from legacy systems, leveraging electronic health records (EHRs) for enhanced patient care, or using data analytics for medical advancements, maintaining robust data security is essential. 

Technology needs to meet trust in healthcare

The future belongs to healthcare entities that can seamlessly integrate advanced technologies while prioritizing data security to improve patient experiences, elevate the quality of care, and deliver superior clinical outcomes.

Technology has elevated the expectations of modern healthcare consumers. Now, patients expect greater accessibility to their health records and more intuitive digital interactions. As a result, healthcare organizations recognize the need to improve both patient and customer experiences.

To achieve this, many are turning to innovative, cutting-edge technologies. But balancing technological innovation with data security is essential. Without it, healthcare organizations risk compromising patient trust, facing regulatory penalties, and failing to realize the full potential of their digital transformation efforts.

How data security in healthcare connects technology, trust, and transparency

To enhance patient and customer experiences, healthcare organizations must prioritize data security. Secure data systems allow smooth, real-time interactions, personalized care plans, and optimized operations, all while ensuring compliance with strict regulations such as Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Patients increasingly want immediate access to their medical records and real-time communication with healthcare providers. But without a secure infrastructure, offering these services opens the door to potential breaches of sensitive information. 

Similarly, insurers rely on large amounts of personal data to streamline claims processing and manage member care. Any weak point in data security can lead to unauthorized access, which negatively impacts both operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

Leading healthcare organizations must find a way to protect sensitive data and comply with industry regulations without compromising customer and patient experience. In fact, data security should be a central component of their innovation strategy.

Dilemmas of data security in healthcare 

In the healthcare and life sciences (HLS) sector, several key players have distinct goals and data security needs. Healthcare providers, insurers, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies each face unique challenges in meeting customer and patient expectations.

Healthcare providers

Healthcare providers aim to deliver personalized and efficient care while focusing on patient engagement and data accessibility. To achieve this securely, they need solutions that protect patient health records and allow real-time access to data. Essential measures include data encryption, access control, and audit trails to ensure that sensitive information remains secure even when accessed and shared by multiple healthcare professionals.

Data security needs:

• Secure access to patient data across teams
• Protection of electronic protected health information (ePHI) in compliance with HIPAA
• Real-time monitoring of data interactions to prevent unauthorized access

Health insurers

Health insurers need to securely manage vast amounts of member data, ranging from claims processing to care coordination, while maintaining compliance with data protection regulations. Data security tools must provide visibility into who accesses sensitive data, when, and why. Additionally, these tools must ensure that only authorized personnel can interact with this information.

Data security needs:

• Secure storage and transmission of member data
• Compliance with privacy regulations like HIPAA
• Monitoring of access and activity to prevent fraud or unauthorized access

Pharmaceutical and medical device companies

Pharmaceutical and medical device companies must protect sensitive research data, intellectual property, and patient information from clinical trials. They require robust encryption and audit capabilities to secure this data and demonstrate compliance with regulatory bodies such as the FDA.

Data security needs:

• Protection of clinical trial data and intellectual property
• Audit trails to comply with regulatory requirements
• Secure sharing of sensitive data across global teams

4 ways to lock down data security in healthcare

To build secure and scalable systems that support better customer and patient experiences, healthcare organizations must implement best practices in data security. Below are key security strategies and how a solution like Salesforce Shield aligns with each best practice to help organizations meet their goals.

Step 1. Encrypt sensitive data

Encryption is essential for protecting sensitive healthcare data, such as patient health records and clinical trial data. Encrypting data both at rest and in transit ensures that even if unauthorized access occurs, the information remains unreadable.

Consider Platform Encryption, which allows healthcare organizations to encrypt sensitive data at rest within Salesforce. This tool ensures compliance with regulatory requirements while preserving the platform’s functionality and flexibility needed to deliver seamless digital experiences.

Healthcare providers can securely share patient information across departments, and pharmaceutical companies can protect their research data without disrupting workflows. In addition, Data Detect can scan Salesforce to identify and flag sensitive data, making sure that only authorized personnel have access.

Real-time alerts from Data Detect provide an extra layer of security by immediately notifying administrators of potential data exposures, enhancing data protection and compliance efforts across the organization.

Step 2. Monitor and audit data access

Monitoring and auditing data access are crucial for detecting unauthorized activity and maintaining accountability. Healthcare organizations should have full visibility into who is accessing sensitive data and what actions are being taken.

For instance, Event Monitoring provides real-time visibility into all interactions with sensitive data. This tool allows organizations to monitor user activity, detect suspicious behaviors, and prevent unauthorized access. For insurers, this means they can identify fraudulent activities early. For healthcare providers, it ensures that patient data is accessed only by authorized personnel. 

And Field Audit Trail further strengthens security by tracking changes made to data fields over time, ensuring compliance and offering transparency during audits.

Step 3. Implement access controls

Controlling access to sensitive data is a fundamental practice in healthcare data security, and organizations should only have authorized personnel have access to specific types of data based on their roles.

Salesforce Shield allows healthcare organizations to implement robust access controls that limit data visibility and access according to job functions. This makes sure that only authorized users can view or modify patient records or sensitive research data. Shield’s flexible security policies allow organizations to customize access controls to fit their operational needs, helping to prevent data breaches caused by insider threats.

Step 4. Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements

Meeting regulatory requirements like HIPAA and GDPR is non-negotiable for healthcare organizations. Implementing tools that ensure compliance without disrupting operations is key to maintaining trust with patients, customers, and regulators. 

Salesforce Shield offers features like Field Audit Trail, which ensures all changes to sensitive data are tracked and logged, providing an audit trail for internal and external audits. Additionally, Platform Encryption guarantees that all sensitive data is encrypted, meeting HIPAA’s encryption requirements while maintaining full functionality.

The future of data security in healthcare

As HLS industries continue to innovate, data security will play an increasingly critical role in delivering improved patient and customer experiences. The rise of AI, IoT devices, and big data analytics will allow for more personalized care and efficient operations, but will also introduce new vulnerabilities and challenges.

To future-proof data security, healthcare organizations must adopt flexible and scalable solutions that can adapt to evolving threats and regulatory changes. Salesforce Shield provides a comprehensive foundation for this future, offering tools that can grow with healthcare organizations as they implement new technologies and face emerging risks.

This is the third post in our Security in HLS series. To learn more about secure cloud adoption, check out our first post. For a deeper dive into bridging the gap between innovation and compliance, read the second post.