The growing wave of ransomware incidents that we saw toward the end of 2019 continued in 2020. Now, however, healthcare organizations are faced with a diabolical twist—in addition to the operational disruption, threat actors are now routinely stealing data and threatening to publish it online as an extra inducement for a ransom payment.

According to BDO’s 2021 healthcare digital transformation survey, respondents identified their top three areas of healthcare investment interest as telehealth (named by 75% of respondents, up from 42% in 2019), EHR interoperability (64%, up from 43%), and patient portals and digital messaging systems (56%, up from 50%).

Clinicians and other professionals who see patients on a daily basis aren’t necessarily thinking about cybersecurity from a patient safety standpoint. That makes password requirements, security education and training, and other requirements seem less directly connected to patient care and safety—even though they actually are integral to both.

Automation in healthcare grows more present all the time. In the pharmacy, robotics and other automation systems now help us maintain inventories, dispense medications, and reduce time, cost, and errors. Because medicine cannot operate through these solutions alone, maintaining the human connection remains a priority. But how do we balance human and machine for the best patient outcomes?

There is a significant backlog of patients waiting to see their provider or undergo a procedure. Innovative solutions like telehealth triage can enable healthcare organizations to improve timely access to care within the most appropriate setting. As a telehealth triage tool, an e-consult platform directs patients to the most appropriate care setting as hospitals and clinics tackle their backlog of patients.