A recent study conducted by LexisNexis found that the majority of hospital CIOs are concerned with IoT and medical device security. Daily challenges that CIOs face when handling with EMRs and other sensitive patient data include a lack of security, interoperability, identity authentication, national provider identifiers, patient record linking, and a lack of provider directories. ETHERFAX is well-aware of these areas of concern and provides the necessary solutions to protect patient health information (PHI) and improve patient care.
Guaranteed Security
As the number of connected devices within healthcare organizations increases and more records become digitized, security must remain up-to-date and be sophisticated enough to combat data breaches.
The ETHERFAX Secure Exchange Network (SEN) is the world’s largest fax network, leveraging military-grade encryption and hybrid cloud technology to provide 100 percent secure communications. Using methods defined by the Elliptic Curve Integrated Encryption Scheme (ECIES), the new ETHERFAX SENx solution offers true end-to-end encryption to guarantee that information is encrypted from the moment it leaves the sending device or application until it is accepted and validated by the receiving party.
Identity Authentication
As more providers begin to communicate and share test results with patients online rather than in person, strong identity authentication is crucial to protect PHI & patient identity. According to a report from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) and CyberScout, unauthorized access to PHI is reported as the second largest threat to healthcare data.
As part of our defense-in-depth strategy, ETHERFAX’s secure fax requires all employees, resellers, integrators, and customers to utilize two-factor authentication when accessing the ETHERFAX portals. To maintain the highest possible security, ETHERFAX uses Google Authenticator which requires a second step of verification upon sign in.
Extending the Network
The majority of CIOs in the LexisNexis study reported that a national provider identifier (NPI) is necessary to improve interoperability and provide efficient follow-up care. For the secure transport of healthcare data, ETHERFAX extends its fax capabilities to the Direct Project. ETHERFAX SEN bridges the gap between Direct messaging and fax and expands the footprint of the ETHERFAX network to include the hundreds of thousands of Direct-enabled hospitals and physicians nationwide.
Through ETHERFAX SEN, healthcare professionals and providers can protect PHI and store patient data in the cloud by utilizing their NPI number to securely transmit healthcare-critical data in direct communication, similar to how they would use a fax number.