Patient records, medical inventories, billing records, laboratory information systems – these days, these are all being stored digitally, making them accessible from various points of entry.

This is extremely practical in many ways, but this also means that the protection of sensitive information has become even more important than before – the dangers are just too big to risk.

This responsibility extends beyond legal compliance – it’s a fundamental aspect of the trust between healthcare providers and their patients, and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) play a huge role in this context, offering a way to secure data by encrypting connections to protect against unauthorized access. 

How VPN Technology Works

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) create an encrypted “tunnel” between a device and the internet. Using encryption protocols like AES, VPNs scramble data into an unreadable format, ensuring that even if intercepted, it remains private. This secure transmission hides online activity, safeguarding privacy and security.

This article examines the essential function of VPNs in upholding the confidentiality and security of patient information within today’s interconnected digital environment, but to learn more about VPNs, you can read this information source.

The Need for Regulatory Compliance

HIPAA Compliance

Making sure healthcare organizations follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is crucial – and VPNs are one of the most effective ways to do so, since they create a secure way to transmit patient information. 

HIPAA requires that Protected Health Information (PHI) be protected with multiple safeguards. VPNs help achieve this goal by encrypting data, making it much harder for any unauthorized person to intercept sensitive information. Healthcare organizations can use VPNs to highlight the seriousness with which they take HIPAA’s tough requirements and improve their overall security.

Penalties for not complying with HIPAA can be severe – failing to protect patient data properly can result in huge fines, ranging from $100 to $50,000 per violation, with a yearly cap of $1.5 million.

What Are The Potential Threats?

Cyber Threats

The healthcare industry is one of the most popular targets of cyber attacks – be it ransomware, phishing, or man-in-the-middle attacks. All of these attacks can be extremely debilitating to the operational health of healthcare establishments.

Phishing attacks often target healthcare employees to gain access to sensitive information through deceptive emails, whereas MitM attacks involve cybercriminals intercepting communication between two parties to steal data. VPNs can help mitigate these threats by encrypting data and creating a secure, private communication channel, highly reducing the risk of data interception and manipulation.

Data Breaches

Data breaches in healthcare are also unfortunately becoming alarmingly frequent and can lead to serious consequences. For example, the 2015 Anthem breach exposed the personal information of almost 80 million people. 

These breaches come with a hefty price tag – IBM’s 2020 Cost of a Data Breach Report estimated the average cost at $4.88 million. Using VPNs could have helped prevent many of these incidents by offering encrypted connections and making it one step harder for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities.

Why VPNs are Essential in Healthcare

Data Encryption: One of the biggest advantages of VPNs is their ability to encrypt data. This means that even if someone intercepts the data, it stays scrambled and unreadable without the right decryption key, keeping patient information safe both while it’s being sent and stored.

Secure Remote Access: VPNs allow healthcare professionals to safely connect to their hospital’s network from anywhere – which is particularly important with the rise of telehealth and remote work, since it allows doctors and nurses to securely access patient records and consult colleagues from any location without putting data at risk.

Network Segmentation: VPNs don’t directly create network segments, but they work alongside segmentation by securely connecting users to specific parts of a network. This helps control who can access sensitive information within those segments.

What Are the Challenges of Using VPNs in Healthcare?

Implementation Costs: Setting up VPNs in healthcare organizations involves some upfront costs and ongoing expenses for maintenance and updates. But these are worthwhile investments in strong security that can save a lot more in the long run by preventing costly data breaches.

User Training: To make the most of VPNs, staff need proper training. Healthcare workers have to know how to use the VPN safely, spot potential threats, and follow best practices to keep everything secure.

Performance Issues: Depending on the VPN used, they can sometimes slow down internet speeds, so choosing a high-quality VPN (which is usually paid) and making sure the infrastructure can handle the extra load is important.

Best Practices for VPN Usage in Healthcare

• Regular Updates and Maintenance: Keeping VPN software up-to-date is critical to defend against emerging threats. Regular patches and updates can address vulnerabilities that cybercriminals might exploit.
• Strong Authentication Methods: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password policies should be mandatory for VPN access.

Monitoring and Logging: Keeping an eye on users’ actions helps to identify and tackle security issues quickly, so meticulous monitoring should be set up to immediately catch and respond any unusual activity.