An incident response plan outlines an organization's response to a cyberattack. Incident response focuses on identifying the type of attack, minimizing its effect, and reducing subsequent risk of similar attacks.

Since patient data is so sensitive, incident response is crucial to a health information management plan. HIPAA, the HITECH Act, and other laws provide penalties for failing to secure patient information. These regulatory issues make a fast and effective incident response plan especially critical.

What's in an Incident Response Plan?

No single incident response plan is universal. Every organization has a unique set of circumstances but most plans follow one of two basic approaches.

One is the incident response process defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Plans of this type include preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident phases.

Next is the six-phase process developed by the SANS Institute. This method involves preparation, identification, containment, eradication and recovery, and documentation of lessons learned from the incident.

Whatever the plan's specifics, most cybersecurity experts recommend regular security testing and employee training to prevent incidents.

Why is Incident Response Important in Healthcare?

Hackers are drawn to patient data since personally identifiable information can be used in identity theft schemes. As many as 66% of healthcare organizations have experienced a ransomware attack that disrupted normal operations. This is a startlingly high figure and evidence of the need for effective incident response plans.

Healthcare providers must have a robust incident response plan for these and other reasons. Without a well-documented and tested plan, patient safety could be at risk, and the organization may face significant losses.

How TempDev Can Help With Incident Response

TempDev's team of NextGen consultants, developers, and trainers support your needs whether you're looking to implement, switch, or upgrade your current EHR system. From dashboards and revenue cycle consulting to automation and workflow redesign, TempDev offers the tools you need to make the most of your NextGen EHR system, with top tips and tricks that will ensure your success now and in the future.

With TempDev's NextGen dashboards, templates, and reports, you can better support your patients' needs and respond better to multiple incidents. Our team is here to help you design, organize, and implement the whole system. We offer the tips that you need for your practice so we achieve best practices. With hands-on training, you and your team are ready for all healthcare IT needs.

Contact us here or by calling us at 888.TEMP.DEV to get the help you need to develop a robust incident response plan.