Fraud and Identity Breaches

Overview: Driving in to work, you hear a news report about a ransomware attack on a university in a nearby state. The hackers took control of the institution’s data and demanded payment, threatening to make all of the students’ personal information public if the university did not comply. It complied. This story made you wonder how safe your healthcare facility is from a similar attack. Could someone steal your patient data or hold it hostage? You realize that you also need to be sure you are up-to-date on relevant laws and regulations.

Because this story is gaining attention, a local news reporter calls to ask if she can interview you about threats of identity breaches and fraud. You agree, and she sends you several questions so you can prepare your responses.

This short paper is not an academic exercise. Rather, it should be organized as if you were writing your prepared response to the reporter’s questions. You may also wish to make a few notes at the end of the paper of other points you would want to make during the interview. If you use references, be sure to cite your sources fully and correctly. Below are the reporter’s questions; you need to prepare answers for each:

What approaches, systems, and/or tools would you recommend to keep your data protected from an identity breach?

 · What is your assessment of the role that firewalls and encryption play in protecting data?

 · What might the consequences be if someone accessed your data without authorization? Could fraud be perpetrated?

 · How should an HIM professional manage any associated ethical considerations?

 · In your own role at Mercy Vale, what risks are involved in identity breaches or fraud?

 · What steps can you take to protect your institution against identity breaches or fraud?

 · Could an information governance plan help protect an institution? What arguments would you make to justify recommendations?

· What are the recommended actions to take to reduce your exposure?

Make sure that your answers are the following:

· Complete: Not only should you respond as fully as possible to the question asked, but if there are further relevant points to be made, include those as well.

· Accurate: Supporting factual information with appropriate citations from reliable sources, ensure that your answers are completely accurate.

 · Thoughtful: Respond in a manner that represents you, Mercy Vale, and the HIM field as intelligent, credible, and professional; do not respond glibly or in a sketchy, dismissive manner.

Guidelines for Submission: Your paper should be a 2 page (not including references) Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and APA-formatted citations for all sources used.

Headings are part of APA formatting, be sure to include appropriate headings in all of your papers.