The Future of Care is Telehealth, But Security Risks Could Slow Service Adoption
18 August 2020 - 3:00PM
Business Wire
Survey reveals patients resorting to telehealth
as the preferred alternative to in-person visits and elective care
throughout pandemic; nearly half of respondents would limit use of
telehealth if healthcare data breach occurred
CynergisTek, a leading cybersecurity firm helping more than
1,000 hospitals navigate emerging security and privacy issues,
today released survey results quantifying the shift in patients
electing to use telehealth services during the pandemic, with more
than half of Americans (54 percent) opting for virtual visits
during pandemic. Of those, more than 70 percent of respondents plan
to continue to use telemedicine post-pandemic. However, healthcare
providers should note that privacy and protection of sensitive
health data was a major concern for telemedicine users and breaches
could prompt patients to switch doctors.
“The rapid growth of telehealth has accelerated to a level we
wouldn’t have expected to see over a 10-year timeframe,” said Caleb
Barlow, president and CEO of CynergisTek. “However, major
vulnerabilities are emerging around privacy and security standards
for video conferencing and messaging apps when used for telehealth
(such as consumer technologies like Zoom), which can be easily
infiltrated - providing hackers with additional opportunities to
breach highly-sensitive information.”
Delaying In-Person Visits, Spurring Rise of
Telehealth
During the pandemic, a majority (56 percent) of Americans have
considered postponing non-emergency medical appointments until the
COVID-19 pandemic ends. When put in a hypothetical situation where
they would need medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, the
types of appointments Americans are postponing include:
- Vaccines: A quarter (25 percent) of Americans would
postpone annual vaccines such as a flu shot until the pandemic was
resolved.
- Annual physicals: Nearly 40 percent are considering
postponing physical exams for adults and child wellness exams
- Dental and vision exams: 45 percent of consumers said
they would postpone their dental/orthodontics check-up amid the
COVID-19 pandemic, followed by 43 percent postponing an eye
exam.
- Elective cosmetic procedures: More than 40 percent
report considering putting off elective cosmetic services and
surgeries (i.e. Botox, breast augmentation, etc).
- Elective surgery: 35 percent report considering pushing
out surgeries like hip and knee replacements until after the
pandemic.
As Americans weigh their comfort level on what medical services
require in-person visits with a physician or healthcare provider,
telehealth options have skyrocketed as a popular alternative,
providing convenience and access at a time when many are canceling
appointments out of an abundance of caution.
According to the survey, while 39 percent of Americans opted for
in-person visits, more than 54 percent of respondents opted for
telehealth options with phone consultations and video visits being
the two most popular. When examining consumers’ willingness to
using telehealth post COVID-19, the survey found:
- Of those who have used telehealth options during the COVID-19
pandemic, 73 percent report they will continue virtual visits after
the pandemic passes.
- 79 percent of male respondents who have used a telehealth
solution during the COVID-19 pandemic will continue using them
post-COVID, compared to 67 percent of females
- Millennials are statistically more likely than any other
generation to continue using telehealth options after the pandemic
has passed (81 percent), followed by Gen X (79 percent).
- In a hypothetical situation where they needed medical care,
nearly a quarter of Americans (25 percent) would not consider using
a telehealth solution for any of the appointments or procedures
types presented – this number is significantly higher among Baby
Boomers (41 percent) and the Silent Generation (59 percent)
Embracing Telehealth and Balancing Security Needs to Protect
Patients
While urgent visits require in-person consultation, Americans
are looking to telehealth to fill in the gap for more routine types
of care. In a hypothetical situation where they’d need medical care
or advice, nearly 30 percent of respondents would also look to
telehealth for chronic care check-ups (29 percent) or annual
physical and children’s wellness exams (27 percent).
While patients are embracing telehealth, providers must
prioritize security when rolling out phone and virtual services or
else they risk potential breaches of sensitive patient data. A
recent report found an increase in nefarious attacks targeting
video-conferencing tools like Zoom, reinforcing the need for
healthcare providers to reassess their security posture and fortify
their defenses to reflect this new reality or potentially risk
losing their patients’ trust and business.
Nearly half of respondents (48 percent) said they would be
unlikely to use telehealth solutions again if their personal health
data was hacked due to a telemedicine-related breach.
- Women are more unlikely than males to use telehealth solutions
again if their health information was involved in a
telemedicine-related breach (54 percent of women vs. 41 percent of
men).
- Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation are the two groups most
unlikely to return to telehealth solutions if their data was
involved in a telehealth-related breach (62 and 65 percent
respectively).
“We find ourselves in a very unique scenario, where consumers
had to accept telehealth almost overnight,” said Russell P.
Branzell, President and CEO of the College of Healthcare
Information Management Executives. “The progress has been amazing
to see in creating easier access to care while reducing the burden
on both providers and patients. However, we must remain vigilant in
our efforts to protect and secure telehealth and other digital
health technologies. With the opportunities of digital health also
come inherent security risks - but digital health’s risks are
manageable. It is important for healthcare providers to take data
privacy and security seriously in order to ensure that digital
health platforms like telehealth remain an essential part of the
future of patient care.”
“We appreciate that this is a new development and healthcare
providers are balancing all the new demands the pandemic has
created,” said David Finn, Executive Vice President of Strategic
Innovation of CynergisTek. “However, the first step is to assess
how the data is encrypted and who is authorized to access this
data. From there, IT teams should work closely with leadership to
fill in the security gaps on telehealth solutions that protect
patients while also providing the convenience.”
Survey Methodology
CynergisTek’s survey was conducted between June 24-26 2020, and
includes 5,005 U.S. adults, ages 18+.
About CynergisTek
CynergisTek is a top-ranked cybersecurity firm dedicated to
serving the information assurance needs of the healthcare industry.
CynergisTek offers specialized services and solutions to help
organizations achieve privacy, security, and compliance goals.
Since 2004, the company has served as a partner to hundreds of
healthcare organizations and is dedicated to supporting and
educating the industry by contributing to relevant industry
associations. The company has been recognized by KLAS as a
top-performing firm in healthcare cybersecurity and was awarded the
2019 Top Healthcare Cybersecurity Consultants in Black Book IT
Advisory Outcomes Survey.
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Media Contact: Allison + Partners Jaime Tero 415-755-8639
jaime.tero@allisonpr.com
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