Advances in technology have streamlined many processes for dental clinics, from appointment bookings to payments. The ease and convenience granted by online platforms, however, comes at a cost — and it comes in the form of risk that one must be aware of and mitigate accordingly.
Most dental clinics today rely on information technology systems for their operations, which is why it’s vital to have a solid IT infrastructure. When IT systems go down, dental offices without a backup and disaster recovery strategy are left scrambling to get their network up and running while dealing with costly damages.
Dental clinics store and handle a huge amount of sensitive patient data called protected health information (PHI). PHI is any information that identifies a specific patient, which includes:
Date of birth
Residential address
Email address
Phone number
Medical history
Insurance information
Laboratory tests and results
Mental health condition
Cybercriminals and malicious insiders looking to make easy money steal PHI to sell it on the dark web, extort money from their victims, and commit fraud.
The COVID-19 pandemic had an intense impact on the global economy and healthcare system — including the dental industry. In the early days of the pandemic, dental offices were forced to close except for emergency procedures, while other businesses quickly shifted to a work from home setting to continue their operations.
Businesses around the globe, including those in the dental industry, felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some companies were forced to shut down, while others switched to a work from home setup to keep their operations afloat. Dental clinics, however, didn't have a choice but to temporarily halt their operations to prevent staff and patients from being infected.
The evolution of dental technology has improved the way dental clinics operate. Practice management software streamlines processes such as billing, patient scheduling, and reporting, while 3D imaging and laser dentistry provide patients with more accurate diagnoses and better treatment options.
No other cyberthreat is as common and costly as a phishing attack. But despite all the warnings about phishing scams and emails, why are so many people still being fooled into opening phishing emails and clicking on compromised links? This is because cybercriminals are becoming more creative and are always looking for ways to trick even trained individuals into opening malicious emails.
Most dentists in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington rely on passwords to protect their patient records and limit the people who can access them. However, with the frequency of cyberattacks increasing daily and hackers getting more creative with how they infiltrate your network, passwords alone are not enough to keep them out.
Nothing can be worse for your dental practice than being hit by a disaster. It can disrupt your clinic's daily operations and affect your revenue. Disasters come in many forms and can hit your business at any time. This is why you should come up with a disaster recovery plan that will allow your clinic to continue operating or recover quickly during a crisis.
As a small- to medium-sized business (SMB) owner, keeping your dental clinic’s valuable data safe should be a priority. Cybercriminals often target SMBs and healthcare organizations because compared to larger corporations, these entities often lack the technology and manpower to run an efficient cybersecurity system, making them easier to infiltrate.
