A new study said 43 percent of identity theft cases in 2013 were the result of stolen medical information, according to an article on the Low Cards website.
The Fourth Annual Patient Privacy and Data Security report from the Ponemon Institute pointed to the lack of security for electronic devices, such as tablets and smartphones, used in healthcare facilities.
"Despite concerns about employee negligence and the use of insecure mobile devices, 88 percent of organizations permit employees and medical staff to use their own mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets to connect to their organization's networks or enterprise systems such as email," the study said.
According to the study, most healthcare organizations that practice the "bring your own device" policy do not require employees to use anti-virus programs on their tablets and phones. This makes the devices vulnerable to high-tech thieves who want to steal information from the programs.
Read the article.
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