In a new survey, more than half (54%) of all consumers say it’s important or very important to ensure the privacy of data collected by their wearables. And, 42% of providers cite data security and privacy among their top concerns surrounding the use of consumer wearables to track cardiac events.*
Twenty years ago, biometric authentication recognition algorithms were a new technology — and a fledgling topic of conversation, thanks to their use at high-profile events like the 2001 Super Bowl.
There were still several years before smartphones were ubiquitous, Apple watches were on every wrist, and the 2009 HITECH Act that introduced the en masse adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). From that point forward, healthcare entered its own Wild West of data collection, digital transformation, and device proliferation. With it arose a whole new slate of challenges.
Data privacy is more urgent than ever
Today’s burgeoning Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has elevated security to one of the biggest priorities on any C-Suite’s list.
In many cases, healthcare’s digitization has been much more rapid than the protection of its infrastructure. The industry jumped in, feet first, following successes seen by the financial services industry – an early leader in biosensing access technologies including fingerprint and iris scanning. Both are supported by cloud and edge capabilities; but each is accompanied by its own vulnerabilities.
While promising considerable benefits, such as universal medical records that promote transparency and interoperability, the proliferation of technologies in healthcare has ushered in a new era of security vulnerabilities. Why? Compared to other industries like financial services and e-commerce, there is no data more valuable than patient data – and the stakes given regulations like HIPAA are high. The financial, reputational, and organizational impact of digital security incidents explains why healthcare has sat atop the list of most expensive data breaches for thirteen years running.
Indeed, in 2023 alone, more than 124 million records were compromised. These incidents have wide-ranging emotional, physical, and financial consequences. As the digitization of healthcare shows no signs of slowing down, new safeguards for data privacy are paramount.
New technology users in a need for new security standards
This makes B-Secur’s origins in biometric security and evolution into healthcare downright prescient. Our founding focus in data safety informs every technology we conceive, develop, test, and launch into market. This is the case with HeartKey®, our suite of on-chip and cloud-based solutions, which improves ECG readability and usability across any environment, achieving 98% accuracy across a range of applications and expediting diagnoses for 71% of cases.
While promising diagnostic precision, HeartKey solutions also protect against security flaws by running either on a local device, or via the cloud through a web API. There, patient information is kept confidential, as no algorithm can identify any individual person. Because it plugs into existing platforms and devices, patient data remains secure, mitigating cybersecurity and compliance risks.
By connecting to and enhancing existing platforms and devices—such as consumer wearables and Holter monitors—it delivers cleaner data and improves remote monitoring capabilities. With B-Secur, functionality and security go hand-in-hand, guaranteeing the best clinical results, along with cutting-edge protection.
A secure tomorrow is ushered in by a legacy in biometric security
The healthcare industry is at an inflection point. Sophisticated consumer wearables continue to enter the market, ushering in a new generation of devices that promise to democratize healthcare. Beyond fingerprints and facial scanning, these new technologies promise to detect personal markers that are more than skin-deep, helping to identify early warning signs and alert individuals before emergency episodes occur.
No technology entering the market today should be able to claim it protects health—unless it can also ensure privacy protection. Yet, as the line continues to blur between consumer wearables and medical devices, new protections must be put into place.
As the industry’s focus on security continues to grow, stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem are increasingly recognizing its importance. In a new survey, more than half (54%) of all consumers say it’s important or very important to ensure the privacy of data collected by their wearables. And, 42% of providers cite data security and privacy among their top concerns surrounding the use of consumer wearables to track cardiac events.*
As new technologies emerge, we have the benefit of hindsight to guide us toward a more secure tomorrow – one where their long-term health benefits are matched only by their security. Now is the time to ensure security is ready to protect the personal data consumers are willing to share, before it is too late.
*Data sourced from a survey of providers and consumers conducted in September 2024 by Sage Growth Partners, an independent healthcare consultancy, on behalf of B-Secur. For a copy of the report, click here.