But experts also said information technology leaders face the daunting task of balancing the need for patient privacy in an industry where the flow of information can literally affect the lives of their customers. Moreover, security at health care organizations will come under increased scrutiny in coming months as federal agencies review regulations that require health organizations to protect the security and privacy of electronic information. In her work as a data entry clerk, Honore had access to computer files, though the information was administrative, not medical, according to Dana-Farber spokesman Steve Singer. The investigation prompted officials at Dana-Farber to perform criminal background checks of temporary workers and review data access policies, although they haven't decided how their information security procedures will change, said Singer. No Background Check Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute in Bethesda, Md., said that while organizations across all industries rely increasingly on temporary workers, they don't often perform background checks on them.
Pedophiles often get a job in an elementary school.
If you're a data thief, the easiest thing is to get a job as a temp. But preventing situations like the one at Dana-Farber is difficult because many people in a health care organization have legitimate access to information, according to Mitchell Morris, senior vice president and CIO at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, one of the nation's top cancer facilities. In addition to temporary workers, health care providers rely on volunteers, some of whom also have access to patient data. Pa. That's because the industry is awaiting federal legislation that would demand that health officials pay fines or even possibly face jail time if they don't adequately safeguard patient information. The challenge for IT leaders preparing for the legislation is to strike a balance between safeguarding privacy and ensuring that security measures are flexible enough so that caregivers aren't denied access to information in a life or death situation, said Morris.