Resource Library

In 2017, sexual harassment claims dominated news coverage and social media forums. Claims of sexual misconduct and harassment have certainly clouded — if not ended — the careers of once powerful and publicly respected celebrities, and the #MeToo movement has encouraged and empowered many ordinary people to come forward with their stories of being harassed and treated inappropriately. The healthcare field is not immune to claims of sexual harassment.

“The Healthcare vertical is rife with Error and Misuse. In fact, it is the only industry vertical that has more internal actors behind breaches than external.”¹

While large and costly data breaches perpetrated by criminal hackers (such as the Equifax breach in 2017) make for splashy headlines, data breaches in healthcare caused by employee error and misuse are far more common.

The healthcare industry experiences more data breaches (confirmed data disclosure) than any other industry in the United States, accounting for more than 24% of all breaches.¹ In 2017, healthcare data breaches compromised more than 5 million healthcare records² and cost providers an average of $380 per record — more than any other industry and 69% greater than the overall average.

With costs of medical school continuing to rise at unprecedented rates, and a widening income gap, the federal government offers numerous student loan repayment assistance options for loan forgiveness, repayment and deferment.

Physicians and hospitals are beginning to build more infrastructures focused on community health. As health care continues to adapt to an aging population and a consequential epidemiologic transition from acute illness to chronic disease, physician leadership in community health becomes an increasingly important factor in providing medical care.