Healthcare employees may need to access email, patient records, scheduling systems, and billing platforms while travelling or working away from the practice. That flexibility can help staff stay productive, but it also creates security risks when they connect through public Wi-Fi, use personal devices, or access sensitive information without the protections available inside the office.
The consequences of a breach can be severe. IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report found that healthcare breaches cost an average of $7.42 million, more than breaches in any other industry. For smaller practices, even a limited incident can disrupt patient care, expose protected health information, and create significant legal and financial pressure.
Why remote access creates added risk for healthcare practices
Patient information is accessed through more systems than many practices realize. Electronic health records may receive the most attention, but employees also use email, cloud storage, scheduling software, billing platforms, and patient portals throughout the day. When staff access these systems outside the office, every device and connection becomes another possible entry point.
A strong office firewall cannot protect an employee who connects through an unsecured hotel or airport network. The practice may have carefully secured its internal environment, but those controls become less effective once staff begin working from laptops, tablets, or phones in unfamiliar locations.
Healthcare practices also have obligations that extend beyond their office walls. HIPAA requirements continue to apply when protected health information is accessed remotely. Practices serving New York residents may also need to consider the New York SHIELD Act, which requires organizations holding private information to maintain reasonable safeguards. Remote access policies therefore need to account for the same security and privacy responsibilities that apply inside the practice.
Everyday habits that put patient data at risk
Remote security incidents often begin with routine actions rather than sophisticated attacks. An employee may connect to an open Wi-Fi network because it is convenient, reuse a familiar password, or download a patient file to a personal laptop to finish a task after hours.
Other dangerous habits include:
- Reusing passwords across professional and personal accounts
- Saving patient information on an unencrypted personal device
- Delaying software and security updates
- Leaving a laptop or mobile device unattended while travelling
How to protect patient information on the road
Healthcare practices do not need to prevent employees from working remotely. They need to implement the following safeguards:
- Require a business VPN: A VPN encrypts remote connections and helps protect patient data on public Wi-Fi. Install it on practice-owned devices and require staff to use it before accessing practice systems.
- Enable multifactor authentication (MFA): MFA adds a second identity check if a password is stolen. Turn it on for email, electronic health records, cloud storage, billing platforms, and patient portals.
- Use encrypted, managed devices: Encryption protects stored data if a device is lost or stolen. Provide approved devices with automatic locking, security software, and centrally managed updates.
- Limit employee access: Staff should only access the systems and patient information required for their roles. Review permissions regularly and remove access when employees leave or change positions.
- Install security updates promptly: Updates fix known vulnerabilities attackers may exploit. Enable automatic updates and monitor devices to ensure patches are installed before employees travel.
- Provide remote security training: Teach employees how to identify unsafe networks, protect devices in public, and report lost equipment or suspicious login activity immediately.
If you're unsure whether your current setup would hold up to a remote work-related breach, that's worth finding out before an attacker does. Healthy IT works with healthcare, legal, accounting, and architecture practices throughout the New York Tri-State Area to assess remote access risks and put the right protections in place.
Get in touch with us to get a clear picture of where things stand and what it would take to close the gaps.