AEHIS Offers Guide to Help IT/IS Teams Prepare for Disease Outbreaks

ANN ARBOR, MI, March 12, 2020 – As reports of Coronavirus cases continue to rise, the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security (AEHIS) has published a guide for digital healthcare leaders to help them prepare for the impact of outbreaks on their organizations. The guide, which is available to the public, highlights some of the information technology and information security issues organizations should consider for planning purposes. 

 

“It is critical that in any circumstance clinicians have appropriate resources to treat patients, and information technology and information security often facilitate that care,” said Christopher Frenz, chair of the AEHIS Incident Response Committee and assistant vice president of information security at Interfaith Medical Center. “During periods of high demand, these tools are especially important to maximize efficiency. The AEHIS Incident Response Committee wrote the guide as a resource for hospitals and health systems to assess their preparedness and proactively address any gaps.”

 

Titled “Information Technology Considerations for a Disease Outbreak,” the report walks through the likely IT/IS impacts of an outbreak and offers recommendations to prevent or minimize disruption and adverse events. Topics include supply chain shortages, labor shortages, business partner considerations, telecommuting, facilities’ physical security, testing of business continuity and disaster recovery plans,  testing of mass notification systems and procedures, educating employees about outbreak-related cyber scams, disinfecting electronic equipment and protecting IT/IS members from possible exposure.

 

“Given the potential impact on normal operations and to the community in general, healthcare organizations have a responsibility to maintain current and trusted situational awareness of the impact of the contagion, and at least have initial conversations within the supply chain, information technology and security teams on some of the above recommended topics,” the authors wrote. “Talking through various scenarios with your teams and thinking ahead about contingency planning for events specific to your organization are highly recommended.”

 

AEHIS is an affiliate of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). AEHIS and CHIME encourage healthcare information security and information technology executives to download the free guide, which is available here.

 

The Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security (AEHIS) was launched in 2014 to provide an education and networking platform to healthcare’s senior IT security leaders. With more than 900 members, AEHIS is advancing the role of the chief information security officer (CISO) through education, collaboration, exchange of best practices and advocacy in support of secure health information for the protection of both healthcare organizations and consumers. For more Information, please visit aehis.org. 

 

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 3,200 members in 56 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs, and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.

 

Candace Stuart

Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME

734.665.0000