6. Organizations could see reputation fallout. Rick Kam, president and co-founder of ID Experts, said identity theft and medical identity theft resulting from data breach exposure are causing patients financial and emotional harm. This often results in patients switching to other providers. According to the Ponemon study, the average lifetime value of one patient is more than $113,000. 

7. Mobile will be big in the industry. Christina Theilst, consultant and blogger, reiterated how the use of tablets, smartphones, and tablet applications in healthcare continues to grow. In fact, nearly one-third of providers use mobile devices to access EMRs or EHRs, according to a CompTIA study. And with the onslaught of this mobile technology, providers will need to balance usability, preferences security, and more all while adopting written terms of use with employees and contractors, said ID Experts. 

8. Emphasis on “willful neglect” will lead to increased enforcements of HIPAA. Adam Greene, partner, Davis, Wright, Tremaine, said the focus over the next year will be on the 150 HITECH Act audits and publication of the final rules implementing modifications to the HIPAA regulations. But the biggest changes, he said, may be at the OCR investigation level. Expect OCR to pursue enforcement against noncompliance due to “willful neglect,” resulting in a sharp increase in financial settlements and fines.

9. Privacy and security training to become an annual requirement. Peter Cizik, co-founder and CEO at BridgeFront, said healthcare organizations have gotten better at putting procedures in place, but staff still isn’t following them. And since the majority of breaches happen due to human error, targeted training and awareness programs will become common in the upcoming year. 

10. An increase in fraudsters means an increase in fraud risk education. Jonnie Massey, supervisor at the Special Investigations Unit, Oregon Dental Service Companies, said pressure, opportunity, and rationalization are all dangerous elements that can lead to committing a healthcare-related crime. And during hard economic times, these crimes are more prevalent. Educating those at risk may deter some from stepping over the line, or help those at risk to prevent themselves from being a victim.

11. Healthcare organizations will turn to cyber liability insurance. As organizations continue to implement their EHRs, said Christine Marciano, president of Cyber Data Risk Managers, they will consider options to protect themselves and their patients. A breach can be both costly and damaging to the organization’s reputation. And with the increased vulnerabilities, as part of a data breach response plan, organizations will increasingly turn to a cyber security/data breach insurance policy. 

Follow Michelle McNickle on Twitter, @Michelle_writes