Abstract
PHI
data privacy has increasingly become a matter of concern in the era of large
public digital repositories of data. This is particularly true in healthcare
where data can be misused if traced back to patients, and brings with itself a
myriad of possibilities. Digital data in healthcare is a double-edged sword.
While on the one hand, digitalization has allowed for a wide variety of
advancements, including teleconsultations, easy retrieval and duplication of
data for records and development of applications such as machine learning, it
has also allowed for the possibility that the personal medical records of a
patient can be accessed by a number of individuals.
Keyword:
Healthcare,
PHI, HIPPA, Cloud, Data Security, ETL
1. Introduction
"PHI
data" in healthcare stands for "Protected Health Information,"
which refers to any individually identifiable health information about a
patient, including demographic details, medical history, test results, and
insurance information, that is held by a covered entity like a healthcare
provider or health plan and must be protected under the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations; essentially, any
information that could be used to identify a patient and is related to their
past, present, or future health condition or healthcare treatment.
2. What is
PHI?
Any
representation of information that permits the identity of an individual to
whom the information applies to be reasonably inferred by either direct or
indirect means. Further, PII is defined as information: (i) that directly
identifies an individual (e.g., name, address, social security number or other
identifying number or code, telephone number, email address, etc.) or (ii) by
which an agency intends to identify specific individuals in conjunction with
other data elements, i.e., indirect identification. (These data elements may
include a combination of gender, race, birth date, geographic indicator and
other descriptors). Additionally, information permitting the physical or online
contacting of a specific individual is the same as personally identifiable
information. This information can be maintained in either paper, electronic or
other media1.
Personally
Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that can be used to identify
an individual.
PHI
can include a person's name, address, phone number, email address, Social
Security number, driver's license number, passport number, or financial account
number, person's face, fingerprints or handwriting.
PHI
can also include information that indirectly identifies a person, such as their
gender, race, birth date or geographic indicator.
PHI
also include information about a person's medical history, mental or physical
condition, or medical treatment, health insurance policy number or subscriber
identification number.
3. HIPPA
Security rules
The
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) required
the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to
develop regulations protecting the privacy and security of certain health
information Securing PHI data in cloud. The Security Rule applies to health
plans, health care clearinghouses, and to any health care provider who
transmits health information in electronic form in connection with a
transaction for which the Secretary of HHS has adopted standards under HIPAA
(the "covered entities") and to their business associates2. There are
numerous regulatory compliance guidelines that carry penalties in the event of
a PHI breach. The largest regulatory framework covering PHI is HIPAA. According
to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the HIPAA Privacy
Rule “provides federal protections for personal health information held by
covered entities and gives patients an array of rights with respect to that
information.”
The
Security Rule requires covered entities to maintain reasonable and appropriate
administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for protecting e-PHI.
Specifically,
covered entities must:
·Ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and
availability of all e-PHI they create, receive, maintain or transmit.
·Identify and protect against reasonably
anticipated threats to the security or integrity of the information.
·Protect against reasonably anticipated,
impermissible uses or disclosures; and
·Ensure compliance by their workforce
4. Securing
PHI Data in Cloud
Now
a days more companies are transitioning from on premise data base to cloud and
securing phi data in cloud is challenge since companies are using service as
SaaS bases. There are multiple ways to secure the data in cloud on way is to
store the PHI information in encryption form. Data can be stored in 64-byte
encryption or 256-byte encryption. Another way to secure data in cloud is
restricting the access of PHI columns to user, give access of PHI columns
access to selected users only. To secure data from cyber attack there should be
multi-level of authentication and authorization, and anti-virus should be thoroughly
updated. Employees should also be properly trained in identifying any phishing email
and securing data in case of potential cyber-attack. HIPAA requires that
organizations collect and analyze audit logs related to PHI access to detect
suspicious activity. It should go without saying that organizations should
regularly review audit logs to make sure they remain in compliance3. The loss of PII can result in substantial
harm to individuals, including identity theft or other fraudulent use of the
information. Because DOL employees and contractors may have access to personal
identifiable information concerning individuals and other sensitive data, we
have a special responsibility to protect that information from loss and misuse.
5. Securing
PHI data during ETL load
ETL
process involved transforming the data from one system to another. extracting
the data from source system doing transformation and loading the data in
target. to protect data while
transforming there should be Continuously monitor data access activities and
maintain detailed logs to identify any suspicious behavior or potential
security breaches. For PHI data transformation secured connections can be
created in source and target. data should be encrypted on fly for extra
security layer. There should be extra security in the target table where PHI
data is loaded. ETL security is not an option;
it's a necessity in today's data-driven world. Failing to secure your ETL
processes can lead to data breaches, regulatory non-compliance, and
reputational damage. By following the best practices outlined above, you can
protect your data at every stage of the ETL pipeline and ensure that it remains
secure and confidential5.
6. AI Based
Data Protection
The
“black box” nature of AI systems means their decision-making processes often
have opacity. This obscurity raises concerns for businesses, users, and
regulators, as they often cannot see or understand how AI algorithms arrive at
certain conclusions or actions. A lack of algorithmic transparency can also
obscure biases or flaws in AI systems, leading to outcomes that may
inadvertently harm certain groups or individuals. Without this transparency,
businesses risk eroding customer confidence and potentially breaching
regulatory requirements.
Since
data transfer can result in leaks of data and is particularly problematic in
case of transfer across the border, attempts have been made at transferring
networks, rather than data. Federated learning is a sort of distributed
learning in which several clients work together to jointly develop a model,
while maintaining the confidentiality of their input. Here the learning happens
separately, each time with a separate set of data, and the model trained
ultimately can draw from knowledge across all datasets4.
7. Secure
data in Cyber attack
To
secure PII (Personally Identifiable Information) data in a cyber-attack, key
strategies include: identifying and classifying PII, implementing strict
access controls, encrypting data both at rest and in transit, regularly
monitoring for suspicious activity, educating employees on data protection
practices and having a robust incident response plan in place to minimize
damage in case of a breach; essentially, limiting access to sensitive
data, making it unreadable without authorization, and proactively preparing for
potential attacks.
8. Conclusion
In
conclusion, protecting PHI (Protected Health Information) through robust data
security practices is crucial for healthcare organizations to maintain patient
trust, comply with HIPAA regulations, and mitigate the significant risks
associated with data breaches, which can lead to legal repercussions, financial
losses, and reputational damage for individuals and organizations alike;
therefore, implementing comprehensive administrative, physical and technical
safeguards to
9. References