The 10 Most Innovative Companies Bringing AI to Healthcare The 10 Most Innovative Companies Bringing AI to He | Page 34

About the Author Jeff Mongelli built and sold his nance company 17 years ago to GE Capital to enter the healthcare industry. As the Founder and CEO, Jeff built Acentec, Inc. into a national leader in improving the clinical and nancial performance of healthcare organizations. He understands that achieving the promise of improved healthcare through aggregated data requires dedicated commitment to the protection and privacy of that information. Jeff is considered an industry expert in IT Technology & Security, HIPAA compliance, and is actively involved in the eld of articial intelligence. He is frequently quoted in the industry's publications and is a featured speaker at national trade shows and Medical Association meetings. He's a member of the FBI's Infragard program and a collaborator in their Healthcare CyberSecurity Workgroup and also a member of Homeland Security's Information Network. 32 It’s not just our physician encounters that have changed. Medical devices have also seen great change. Not only do our elderly have access to home health monitoring equipment, but virtually every medical device being manufactured is now either connected directly to an internal network or onto the World Wide Web. These technological advancements have allowed for the flow of data into software systems that analyze, alert, and share that information with providers throughout the care chain. The result is leading to better health outcomes and improved quality of life for many of us. Sadly, it’s not all good news. The connectivity of all these devices has created a treasure trove of opportunities for cyber criminals. The possibility of extorting someone for bitcoins or they’ll shut your pacemaker off is not an unrealistic concern. In fact, a 2017 Ponemon Institute study found that 39% of medical device manufacturers reported attackers have taken control of their devices. Additionally, 38% of care delivery organizations said inappropriate therapy/treatment had been delivered to patients because of an insecure medical device. Imagine a hacker in Romania manipulating the medicine pump connected to your arm when you’re in the hospital – this is today’s reality. What’s being done about it? Truthfully, not enough. Rather than pile on the device manufacturers themselves, let’s consider 3 stakeholders and where each carries a share of the burden. First, it’s the device manufacturers who’s brands are on the line, so one would think they’re doing all they can to strengthen their final products. That may not be the case. The Ponemon study goes on to state most device manufacturers have yet to adopt more stringent software and device security protocols, resulting in production devices with vulnerable code. The urge to get to market as quickly as possible often supersedes adhering to the proper process of security and vulnerability testing. Second, one must consider the security of the facilities who house these devices, namely hospitals, other care facilities, and even our own homes. From a hackers perspective, medical devices are simply another node on a network, much like a computer or a printer. That means they’re as vulnerable as any other networked device. If medical devices are not being routinely patched and updated, whether manually or automatically, then they’re vulnerable to new threats and exploits. DECEMBER 2018