The cost of data breaches is no trivial matter, and with the number of data breaches expected to increase in 2015, the cost is only going to rise.
According to the Ponemon Institute, data breaches cost the healthcare industry an average of $5.6 billion each year. However, an Experian report forecasting data breaches for 2015 fully expects a "persistent and growing threat of healthcare breaches" due to the digitization of records, introduction of wearables and the economic gain one can obtain from health records.
Experian suggests healthcare organizations take necessary measures to bolster their security and data breach preparedness for a couple of reasons. First, they owe it to their patients to keep their data and information safe. Second, Experian projects an increase in legal and regulatory oversight, so healthcare organizations want to avoid any scrutiny.
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