CIT is Minnesota’s Premier Cybersecurity Provider for Nursing Home Technology

One of the most common mistakes anyone can make when shopping around for cybersecurity is approaching information technology with a one-size-fits-all perspective. That is especially true for securing your nursing home’s sensitive information. After all, if cybersecurity protects information, wouldn’t all cybersecurity be the same?

We are glad you’re taking a moment to read this blog before making a decision, because keeping a nursing facility’s information technology security is a specialized service, and one of CIT’s many specialties. Read on to learn more about how we can help solve the unique challenges of keeping our elderly loved one’s health and financial data safe from hackers.

You Keep Your Senior Residents Safe, But What About Their Personal Information?

As America ages, hackers know where to find the most vulnerable health and financial data — in senior living facilities like yours.

There are many reasons why seniors present an especially attractive target:

• Hackers are keen on hunting for nest eggs, whether found in social security payments, pensions, retirement checks, or even good credit
• Seniors, especially those on a fixed income, often do not closely monitor their financial data
• Hackers can pose as family members to take advantage of specialized patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia
• Seniors, who didn’t grow up with technology, often choose easy-to-hack passwords or unknowingly provide sensitive information to phishers
• Financial and health records of the recently deceased can fetch an especially high price on the dark web
• Senior homes and care settings are a hub of traffic (and possibly, a weak link) in the Health Information Exchange

If You Suspect Your Facility’s Electronic Health Records (EHR) Have Been Hacked

You would think some things in this world would be out of bounds. But hackers have no scruples in who they hack. Thankfully, you and your residents are not alone. There are some immediate steps you can take if you feel your facility or your resident’s financial or health records have been compromised.

The Department of Homeland Security has a handy guide to preventing and responding quickly to possible fraud, including everything from the immediate steps you should take if a resident’s phone has been stolen, to providing convenient, easy to use tip cards for anyone who needs simple, clear information at the ready.

An intrusion from a hacker can be traumatic and ruinous for anyone. But for those in their twilight years — who should be reaping the rewards of a lifetime of hard work — getting hacked can be especially devastating. Of course, the best cure is prevention and, as a caretaker, you have a special opportunity to hire the absolute best in cybersecurity and ensure the safety and happiness of your residents.

Improve the Quality of Your Patient Care with Proper Security

When you make the safety and security of your residents a priority, people (and prospective residents) notice—the devil is in the details, after all. High standards are contagious, and the premium you place on proper cybersecurity could extend to your staff, your resident’s care plans, and, ultimately, to your residents themselves.

A business that runs smoothly is happy. And that is especially true if your business is a retirement community. Providing proper cybersecurity is more than a good placebo, it is a way of life and commitment to standards that enrich the lives of the ones we love the most.

CIT Keeps Your Facility’s Information Technology Safe, Secure, and Compliant

You’re busy running several skilled nursing facilities — you don’t have time to be concerned about cybersecurity. That’s why you need CIT, Minnesota’s premier IT cybersecurity company, with over three decades of experience, and our industry-leading partners (with HIPAA, HITECH, and NIST standards across locations), helping local senior living providers stay ahead of today’s cyberthreats. Together we can keep our loved ones safe and secure and getting the most out of life.