Secure access to ePHI: A Clinical Research Firm Case Study

According to the World Economic Forum, the healthcare industry has held the record for reporting the most expensive data breaches for more than 13 years. In 2023, the average per healthcare breach was $10.93 million, almost double the financial industry, which came in second with an average cost of $5.9 million. According to the HIPAA-Journal, the healthcare sector has increasingly seen more cyber-attacks year-over-year since 2015.

With its vast amount of sensitive patient data and the criticality of its operations, the healthcare sector is a prime target for cybercriminals. Thus making cyber resiliency of the utmost importance.

Compounding the pressure on healthcare IT leaders is the need to drive innovations, like delivering a mobile-first experience, while keeping operations running smoothly for the organization to stay competitive in the market.  

Small and large organizations across our nation combat these challenges daily. In this blog, we’ll dive into a specific use case of a premier clinical research network spanning across Texas, Nevada, and California to showcase how virtual mobility revolutionized their practice.

• Challenge: The healthcare organization needed secure mobile access to electronic patient health information (ePHI) and other critical applications, like Outlook, remotely while maintaining the highest level of patient care and operational efficiency. They knew they could not rely on purchasing secondary devices—not only because buying the devices would be prohibitively expensive, but also because, without proper safeguards, healthcare data could be left vulnerable to cyber breaches. The organization also considered other mobile solutions like mobile device management (MDM), but that raised concerns about data exposure and employee privacy. Additionally, a recent incident where an executive's mobile device was stolen and cloned highlighted the need for a proven and secure offering that would defend against this type of attack.

• Solution: After much consideration, the healthcare network decided to deploy Hypori. This tailored, cutting-edge, HIPAA-compliant virtual mobility solution enabled employees to securely access critical applications from their personal phones or tablets without infringing on their personal privacy. By implementing a virtual workspace solution, the organization could easily scale to account for the company’s locations across the country while keeping costs low and ensuring that sensitive data would not be compromised.

• Results: With their newfound mobile access, the organization greatly improved patient care by facilitating secure real-time collaboration and coordination between teams while empowering patients with access to their health information anytime, anywhere. The organization gained compliance and reduced end-point attack surfaces; they had peace of mind knowing that no data could be lost or stolen because data accessed via a virtual mobile device is never stored on the physical device. Employees eagerly adopted the solution, confident that their privacy was protected and their devices would never need to be confiscated or wiped. Additionally, it provided a competitive advantage compared to other providers by offering more patient-centered and efficient services, thereby attracting and retaining patients in an increasingly competitive market.

This success story underscores the importance of finding innovative solutions to healthcare challenges while maintaining the highest standards of security and compliance. By embracing mobile-first strategies and prioritizing the protection of patient health information, the organization solidified its position as an industry leader in healthcare innovation. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, organizations like this serve as catalysts for positive change.

If you’re interested in exploring more use cases for Hypori or would like to cut your mobile device program costs without adding more headaches, download our complimentary whitepaper “The Tech that will Unlock Cost Savings for Healthcare IT.”