Health records take beating on security.

• Position: DATA SECURITY - Brief article

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Health information records have become a popular target for fraud and identity theft. A bi-annual survey of 250 U.S. healthcare facilities conducted by HIMMS Analytics shows that security breaches have steadily increased over the last six years. In 2012, 27% of the respondents indicated they had experienced a security breach within the previous 12 months, which is up from 19% in 2010 and 13% in 2008.

According to HIMMS Analytics, the increase is likely due to a more accurate picture of security and privacy than had previously existed within the industry. "However," the company said, 'there is cause for concern, as our new study shows that the security practices in place continue to overemphasize a 'checklist' mentality for meaningful improvement in the day-to-day handling of patient personal health information (PHI) and patient identity integrity (PII)."

The survey found that 79% of the breaches reported by respondents were attributed to employees. More than half (56%) of the facilities that were breached said the source was...