Malware Protection is not paranoia
The Cyber-thugs are not slowing down. If you own a computer you know about malware, viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, and adware. These words are now common vernacular, and most of us would agree–that is a shame. “Social engineering” used to be a term used in the social sciences; now that word is more commonly used among computer professionals. The definition is evolving with usage and now “social engineering” more often means the art of manipulating people into divulging confidential information or performing actions that allow malicious people access (typically that access is to their computers, network, or financial and private information).
Our language is changing and so is the face of organized crime. Twenty years ago malware was created by pocked-faced kids as pranks. We would click on a link and a caterpillar would eat our screen. That was the first wave. During the second wave individuals found ways to monetize malware and started to steal identities. This third wave now includes organized criminals who have seen the opportunities created by e-trade and e-commerce and have become so prolific the internet has gone from 5,000 malicious codes a day to 95,000 unique malicious codes introduced into the network every day. They are gunning for us and they are gunning hard.
We spend over $4 billion dollars each year fighting malicious software. As with any virus, we create the “cures” and the “virus strains” get stronger. These viruses are also in different classes and affect our systems in varied ways. Some viruses will create just minor annoyances, like popup ads in our browser, while others can steal confidential information, destroy data, or even bring our whole network down.
One such malicious code that uses both a Trojan and social engineering is a new variant of malware that circumvents mobile SMS security procedures and goes right after your wallet. The SpyEye financial Trojan steals banking codes by tricking users into changing the phone number connected with their accounts. Click Here for more information. Other codes, like the DroidDream Trojan went after the Droid phones specifically and was masked as an app to download. Once downloaded it could steal information on the phone. Now our phones are being targeted as well as our computers!
How do we protect ourselves from all the malware out there? The following are just a few tips to help avoid malware and protect yourself from those who want to do you harm:
• Windows updates – make sure you are updating your OS at least a couple times a month. This is the first line of defense and needs to be done on your phone as well as your computer.
• Anti-Virus Software – there are many out there so choose carefully. We highly recommend avast! because they are “Best in Class” when it comes to the most recent definitions, ease of use, and the tightest security.
• Firewalls – A firewall is hardware or software that acts like a gate to protect your network from malware and hackers. Most routers have firewalls built in but need to be configured. Don’t assume this is automatically set up; ask your administrator (or your 14 yr old kid if this is at home).
• Suspicious offers – Don’t open any text, SMS, or offer that comes to your phone. Know the source or delete.
• Alternate Browser – Browsers such as Firefox or Safari are less susceptible to the evils on the internet as IE.
• Active X – If you are using Internet Explorer tighten the security settings.
To do this, Open IE and Click Tools > Internet Options > Security > Internet (Globe Icon) > Click Default Level and APPLY.
NEXT, Click the Custom Level Button and adjust the settings as follows (some settings will already be properly set):
* SET Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
* SET Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
* SET Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
* SET Installation of desktop items to Prompt
* SET Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
* SET Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
After changing these settings as noted, please Click OK. If you are prompted to save the settings, click YES.
Finally, click APPLY and OK to finalize these settings.
There are many other advanced tips but this is a good start. Above all, be paranoid. If it seems suspicious, be suspicious.
Health Care Reform and Electronic Medical Records: Not two sides of the same coin
The Health Care Reform debate and the Electronic Medical Records “mandate” are not part of the same issue; they are two separate and distinct major changes in the health care system going on today. The politicians in DC will continue to debate the language and the validity of Health Care Reform and how best to spend over $940 billion dollars in the next 10 years. They will debate how much to spend, what to spend it on, and who gets it. There is no debate for digitizing America’s medical records. All agree that it will happen and it is happening now – to be done by 2015.
Though a law has not been passed to require the use of an EMR, the word “mandate” has been used quite often. The Federal Government has made incentives-and penalties-for using an EMR/EHR system. They will also be requiring certain reporting by all physicians and will keep a central database. Although these reports can be filled out manually it would be more cumbersome. EMRs are a near future reality in an industry that has stayed the least technological than most any other industry. The great migration from paper to digital is happening now!
The real “mandate” will not really come from the government but from the market. NORC at the University of Chicago published a study recently which found an overwhelming percentage of consumers are very supportive of the adoption of EMRs.
- 78% believe EMR will improve patient care
- 59% believe EMR will reduce health care costs
- 72% support interoperability and information sharing
- 80% support e-prescribing
Not only are the patients favorable to digitizing their medical care but up-and-coming health care providers are expecting to walk in and use computers like they have their whole lives. If a clinic wants to attract younger doctors and have a higher re-sale value they will need to adopt an EMR system.
If everyone seems to be on board with digitizing our medical records why is there a black cloud over the subject? Cost. “Financing is an issue. It’s not just the hardware and software, but also the implementation process. There will be a productivity loss at first”, said Joe Wivoda, a technology consultant for the National Rural Health Resource Center in Duluth. Over half the hospitals who have implemented an EMR went down to less than 5% margins and 25% were running in the red as they got back up to speed, which took months or years. Many are still getting back up to previous numbers. This track record could kill a small clinic that doesn’t have the buffer large hospitals have. Experts say choosing the correct EMR the first time can be one of the biggest decisions a clinic has to make at this time.
Bottom line: you will choose, choose wisely.
EMRs can Lower Costs, Increase Productivity, and Raise Revenue
There has been a lot of talk lately about the EMR/EHR systems and how they can really raise havoc in a practice. There are certainly some systems that can make it very frustrating but as a whole the movement has many more pros than cons. Here is an article we found that sums it up well with all kinds of statistics!
NOTE: EMR (electronic medical records) & EHR (electronic health records) are interchangeable
Doctors Using Fully Implemented EHRs Report Lower Costs, Higher Productivity, MGMA Finds
By Joseph Conn, Modern Healthcare (April 6, 2011)
Ambulatory-care physicians who have implemented an electronic health-record system are largely satisfied with their purchases, and their satisfaction increases if they have their EHR systems optimized, according to data from a survey by the Medical Group Management Association.
The survey also indicates that financial benefits accruing to the practices tend to follow levels of optimization.
More than seven in 10 practices (72%) that had completed an EHR implementation were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their systems, according to the survey. Those that claimed they had fully optimized their systems were even more pleased—86% were “satisfied” or “very satisfied.”
In addition, the financial rewards of EHR adoption were greater for those who had fully optimized their systems. According to the survey, 61% of respondents who reported their EHR had been fully optimized indicated their systems had 1) increased provider productivity and 2) boosted practice revenue, compared with 37% and 42% respectively, for those practices that had an EHR implemented but were still focusing on getting dialed in with their systems.
Veteran numbers cruncher Dave Gans, the MGMA’s vice president of innovation and research, oversaw the survey project and said that what jumped out of the data for him was that “organizations not only are acquiring electronic health records, they’re embracing electronic health records.” He added: “It’s changing the way they’re doing business. We’re re-engineering healthcare. That’s what’s coming through.”
“(For) the majority of the organizations, they reduce their cost, and increase their productivity,” Gans said. “The popular conception is that electronic health records slow you down, they cost you money, and we wouldn’t want them. And now we have a very large sample of people who say we’ve embraced it, it’s making a difference and we’re satisfied with what we’re doing.”
The MGMA study gleans information from a cross-section of physician group practices, including independent medical practices, 59%; hospital- or integrated delivery system-owned practices, 17%; academic faculty practices, 5%; federally qualified health centers or community health centers, 3%; and more than a half dozen other practice arrangements, representing workplaces of more than 120,000 physicians in total. Data was collected between Oct. 1, 2010, and Nov. 9, 2010. There was a “profusion” of 148 EHR systems in use by survey participants, with no one system capturing more than an 11% share of the systems reported.
More than half (52%) of those practices surveyed reported that they used an EHR system. In comparison, 36% used paper charts and 6% used a document scanning system. Of the practices still using paper records, 63% plan to adopt an EHR system and seek federal incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The survey was open to practices of all sizes, and nearly 10% were one- and two-physician practices; while 23% had three or fewer physicians.
EHR adoption rates in the MGMA survey comport with preliminary estimates from the 2010 survey by the National Center for health Statistics, which found that 51% were using at least a partial EHR system.
But among the practices in the MGMA study that claim to have an EHR system, nearly a quarter (24%) said the system is still being implemented. Only 16% indicated they have completed implementation and believe they have optimized their systems.
Even among provides with fully optimized systems, a lack of EHR interoperability functions could be a barrier to meeting federal meaningful-use criteria and qualifying for federal EHR incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to the survey.
Only 44% of practices with optimized systems reported their EHRs could meet meaningful-use criteria for clinical decision support and exchanging clinical information with other providers. Only 38% of optimizers reported their systems could send clinical quality measures to CMS or to states.