Affiliated Practices

Do affiliates pose hidden cyber risks to the organization?

Effective coordination and communication between HDOs and their affiliated practices are critical to ensure that patient data and safety are protected, care is not compromised, and that regulatory and legal obligations are met. Some of the common security risks of affiliated practices are:

• The increased risk of data breaches based on sharing data with affiliated practices due to inadequate security controls, phishing attacks, or stolen devices that contain sensitive information
• Risks from insiders such as employees of the affiliated practices or contractors who have access to sensitive data who intentionally or unintentionally violate security policies
• Ransomware and malware can compromise the confidentiality and integrity of healthcare data, with a cyber attack on one affiliated practice putting the entire network at risk
• Third-party vendors that do not have robust security controls in place can pose risks to affiliated practices that rely on their products or services to operate