Government watchdog raises red flag on health IT security
A Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General review of health IT security has found that the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has yet to address fully the security concerns associated health information technology.
While the ONC has security controls in the interoperability specifications, there are no HIT standards that include general information IT security controls, the OIG noted in its report.
As defined by the OIG, general IT security controls are the structure, policies, and procedures that apply to an entity's overall computer operations, ensure the proper operation of information systems, and create a secure environment for application systems and controls.
“At the time of our initial audit, the interoperability specifications were the ONC HIT standards and included security features necessary for securely passing data between EHR systems (e.g., encrypting transmissions between EHR systems). These controls in the EHR systems were application security controls, not general IT security controls,” the OIG states in its executive summary.
“We found a lack of general IT security controls during prior audits at Medicare contractors, State Medicaid agencies, and hospitals,” OIG officials state. “Those vulnerabilities, combined with our findings in this audit, raise concern about the effectiveness of IT security for HIT if general IT security controls are not addressed.
The OIG recommended that the ONC
- broaden its focus from interoperability specifications to also include well-developed general IT security controls for supporting systems, networks, and infrastructures;
- use its leadership role to provide guidance to the health industry on established general IT security standards and IT industry security best practices;
- emphasize to the medical community the importance of general IT security; and (4) coordinate its work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Department's Office for Civil Rights to add general IT security controls where applicable. ONC concurred with our recommendations.
