Healthcare organizations, including small- to medium-sized dental clinics, store a huge amount of patient data, which makes them a prime target for cyberattacks. One of the most successful and most threatening methods of a cyberattack is malware. Malware is software created by hackers with the intent of stealing data, damaging systems or devices, or both.
If you own or are planning to start a dental practice, you have to make sure that it follows the strict standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This act requires small- and large-scale dental clinics to take precautionary measures to ensure the safety and security of their patients' protected health information (PHI).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the governing body that enforces HIPAA, can impose a fine of $50,000 per patient record that was stolen or compromised, and a maximum fine of $1.5 million per year depending on the type of violation.
If you’re planning to start a dental office, or if your dental practice is starting to grow, you will need to decide whether to purchase new IT equipment or lease them from a managed IT services provider (MSP). If buying or adding new equipment and software will adversely affect your clinic’s cash flow, you should consider leasing instead.
If your dental practice is using Windows 10 operating system (OS), you'll be excited to know that Microsoft is currently working on its new update, which is scheduled to be released around May 2020. Dubbed 20H1 (Vibranium), it's going to be the first of two major updates slated for 2020, and it comes with a collection of improvements that can have a positive impact on your practice.
With 2020 fast approaching, new dental technologies will likely emerge and provide your dental office with new and innovative ways that improve business processes, optimize patient experience, and find more efficient ways to acquire new patients. Below are some of the top dental technology trends you should watch out for in 2020.
Teledentistry
Many people find it difficult to visit the dentist for various reasons.
2019 showed that businesses of all sizes are not immune to cyberattacks. Hackers have developed new malware and techniques to infiltrate and steal corporate data hosted on traditional IT infrastructure, the cloud, mobile devices, and email platforms. As the year draws to a close, we look back at the most pressing cyberattacks of 2019, as well as rising cyberthreats for 2020.
Phishing attacks
Phishing remains the most widely used and most successful form of cyberattack because of its speed.
Did you know that dental healthcare providers are vulnerable to disruption and downtime? Dental offices house a huge amount of sensitive data such as patient files, bank account information, and credit card numbers, all of which can be lost during a cyberattack or a natural disaster.
Are things moving slowly in your dental office? Are you getting negative feedback from your patients? If so, it's time to re-evaluate your current processes to see how you can make your dental practice more productive. Enhanced workflow management, efficiency, and customer satisfaction are some of the factors you need to focus on to get your dental office moving like a well-oiled machine.
The healthcare sector remains one of the most vulnerable industries to data breaches. Even accidental data loss that does not involve a deliberate attack can have lasting consequences on your organization’s reputation and get you a fine for failing to comply with HIPAA regulations.
Dental practices, like any modern business, need computers. But at $900 per unit on average, personal computers are not a low-cost investment at all. When you consider the fact that you need several units for tasks like record-keeping and patient management, among others, you’d have to allocate several thousand dollars just to build a functional business IT system.
