Protecting Healthcare Data (S1E24)

This is an interview that does not talk about the success of protecting data with a new distanced telehealth initiative; this is an open-ended discussion that describes challenges when it comes to scaling, governance, and cyber-security after an already solid technical beginning.

In 2020, telework invaded everyone’s lives. Many federal agencies were unprepared, but the folks at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had a robust telehealth program already in place.

Today, any organization can claim to be “enterprise-level,” but it is no exaggeration at the VA. The numbers are astounding. Let us begin with 170 hospitals and 2000 clinics. Although the VA had made inroads in remote telehealth, when COVID hit, the challenge was in scaling and securely handling a geographically dispersed population.

Some studies show 44% of recruits to the Armed Forces come from rural areas.  Because of that, the VA knew years ago it was more efficient for a veteran to use a remote monitoring device rather than drive four hours to a medical facility. As a result, the VA has been monitoring remote devices for fifteen years.  However, this ability was taxed when it was amplified to almost every visit with a patient.

Adding to the technical challenge of scale, the VA had to improve its ability to handle video data that was originating on a patient-supported device. The video data had to be secure at the source and in transit.  Finally, physicians had to learn to adjust from a face-to-face bedside manner to a video approach.

For hospital systems, HIPAA security has been in place for years.  During the interview, Joseph Ronzio expands upon how he worked with industry partners to give him the flexibility and move to the cloud securely.  He describes how compliance programs like FISMA allowed patients to securely send personal medical information to the commercial cloud and then back to the VA.

The main lesson learned here is for large organizations to take advantage of partners in the technical environment to help them adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

To view this webinar: CyberRx: Securing Healthcare Data.

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