Business Vitals completed an assessment of the companys IT infrastructure, personnel and procedures for HIPPA and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance
COLUMBIA, S.C., March 11, 2005 - - With the healthcare industry under increasing scrutiny to safeguard confidential patient information, IT security has become a top priority for industry executives. In a proactive step, a leading developer and operator of radiation therapy centers across the U.S. engaged information security specialist Business Vitals to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the firms information systems, policies and procedures.
We manage a cancer registry of over 30,000 patients. With all the confidential, personally identifiable patient information we deal with, we are obligated to ensure our data is secure, a company spokesman said.
In January, Business Vitals completed an assessment of the companys IT infrastructure, personnel and procedures for HIPPA and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Business Vitals documented the findings and developed alternative strategies and actionable execution plans complete with budgetary and schedule estimates.
Jeff Brewer, president of Business Vitals, suggests companies that manage sensitive information daily be proactive when it comes to IT security, particularly those who are regulated by federal legislation such as HIPAA. Its critical for companies to have an IT security risk assessment completed by objective third-party experts. With sensitive data flowing over corporate and wide area networks to include the Internet, not only are customer identities and information on the line, but so is the companys reputation.
According to a 2003 report by Infonetics Research, a market research and consulting firm covering the data networking and telecommunications industries, healthcare providers can lose an average of $772,000 per day if an IT disaster occurs. While insurance can help cover direct, quantifiable losses, secondary costs such as loss of patient satisfaction and trust, lost productivity, legal liability, brand dilution and competitive disadvantage are not as easy, if at all possible, to recover.
About Business Vitals Founded in 2001, Business Vitals provides consulting and ongoing managed services that enhance and elevate ITs capability and impact on clients in financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and retail. The privately held company operates a secure operations center in Columbia, S.C., with consulting offices in Boston, Mass.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Philadelphia, Pa.; and Tampa, Fla.
