In Focus: Practice Future

Ransomware Alert: Government Advisory Suggests Threat to Healthcare System

A new advisory coauthored by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) warns of the potential for ransomware attacks against hospitals and medical systems.

“CISA, FBI, and HHS have credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to US hospitals and healthcare providers,” the advisory states. “CISA, FBI, and HHS are sharing this information to provide warning to healthcare providers to ensure that they take timely and reasonable precautions to protect their networks from these threats.”

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there have been 4,000 daily ransomware attacks since early 2016 (a 300 percent increase over the 1,000 daily ransomware attacks reported in 2015). HHS also notes that the HIPAA Security Rule requires implementation of security measures that can help prevent the introduction of malware, including ransomware.

Veteran FBI cybersecurity expert and current Senior Incident Response Advisor at CRITICALSTART, Allyn Lynd, notes that Ransomware attacks, “have only accelerated under the lockdowns being used to combat COVID-19. The cost of the ransom has risen, and according to some reports the average ransom demand is now about $1.4 million, with some ransoms reaching into the tens of millions.”

He emphasizes that the cost of ransomware attacks on the healthcare sector extends beyond dollars, pointing to the reported death of a patient in Duesseldorf, Germany last year. The critically ill patient had to be routed to a distant hospital when the local facility was closed due to IT system failure.

“Hospitals and health care providers must have plans in place to identify these attacks before they reach the level of concrete ransom demands,” Mr. Lynd stresses.

The recent advisory offers recommendations and best practices for protecting practices. Among the recommendations, the advisory states:

CISA, FBI and HHS do not recommend paying ransoms. Payment does not guarantee files will be recovered. It may also embolden adversaries to target additional organizations, encourage other criminal actors to engage in the distribution of ransomware, and/or fund illicit activities.

In addition to implementing the above network best practices, the FBI, CISA and HHS also recommend the following:

• Regularly back up data, air gap, and password protect backup copies offline.
• Implement a recovery plan to maintain and retain multiple copies of sensitive or proprietary data and servers in a physically separate, secure location.

TrueHero Face Shields for Medical Practices

Responding to the need for PPE across the US, Jamestown Plastics, has pivoted production to manufacture face shields to protect from COVID-19. The TrueHero Extreme Coverage Shield is suitable for medical use, including in dermatology and aesthetic practices.

Unique features of the TrueHero shield include a flanged perimeter, along with coverage over the forehead and under the chin, providing coverage/protection from all angles. Additionally, the TrueHero is designed to allow heat and moisture to be drawn out from the inside to prevent fogging.

“We were determined to develop the best face shield possible, so we consulted with medical professionals to better understand their needs and expectations. We learned the three main concerns about traditional face shields were a lack of full protection, fogging of the shield, as well as glasses when worn with the shield, and the high, long-term cost associated with disposable shields. With this information, we immediately mobilized our team to design what we think is the best face shield on the market,” says Jay Baker, President of Jamestown Plastics.

“Working through the night, our team finished the design in 24 hours and then within two days had the TrueHero Extreme Coverage Face Shield in the hands of our local healthcare professionals,” he adds. “It was a true team effort for the true heroes: our healthcare workers!”

TrueHero is a reusable face shield that is large enough to accommodate eyeglass wearers. The manufacturer says TrueHero provides a lower overall cost of protection than what many health care facilities are currently experiencing using traditional disposable face shields.

Mr. Baker and his team have donated TrueHero face shields to local health care hospital workers, as well as hospitals in New York City and others across the country.

Telemedicine Minimizes Costs in Dermatology Triage

A recent study in JAMA Dermatololgy examined the association between the implementation of a teledermatology triage system at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) and the organizational expenses for the provision of outpatient dermatology care. The study found that using teledermatology to triage and manage dermatology patients within a capitated health care system may be associated with significant cost savings.

WATCH NOW

Perfecting the Art of Virtual Consults
Virtual consults will play an important role in screening and educating patients even after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. Mara Shorr, BS, CAC II-XIII, partner at Shorr Solutions, discusses how telehealth is useful for prescreening patients, allowing them to get to know you and your staff, and assessing which procedures may be best for when they present to the office. She offers tips on how to nail your teleconsults.
Watch now at modernaesthetics.com/videos/perfecting-the-art-of-virtual-consults

A retrospective cost minimization analysis was conducted of 2098 patients referred to the dermatology department at the ZSFG between June 1 and December 31, 2017.

The main outcome was mean cost to the health care organization to manage newly referred dermatology patients with or without teledermatology triage. To estimate costs, researchers constructed decision-tree models to characterize possible care paths with teledermatoogy triage and within a conventional dermatology care model. Costs associated with primary care visits, dermatology visits, and teledermatology visits were applied to the decision-tree models to estimate the mean cost of managing patients following each care path for six months. Personnel costs for each visit type were incorporated, as well as software implementation and maintenance costs for teledermatology visits. ZSFG patient data were applied within the models to evaluate branch probabilities to calculate mean cost per patient within each model.

The TD model demonstrated a statistically significant mean cost savings of $140.12 ($11.01) per patient. The authors went on to note that given an annual dermatology referral volume of 3150 patients, the analysis estimates an annual savings of $441,378.