The Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) Board of Trustees and Executive Staff met Monday, July 30, 2008, in BBGH’s Alliance Room. The two main topics of discussion were cybersecurity/IT updates, and HIPAA education.
IT Manger Mandy Greve updated board members on the department’s recent activity. In roughly the last year, the IT department has upgraded the firewall, installed FirePOWER, a firewall software level, upgrade the Exchange server, and upgraded the backup software version to include encryption detection that will notify BBGH of any inconsistent activity.
Ms. Greve showed meeting attendees how reputation filtering software can block websites and links associated with recognized, malicious IP addresses, domain names, or content. She presented real time data that showed how intense cyber security has become in recent years. Out of 23,634 emails received on July 30, 91.7 percent had been detected as threats through reputation filtering alone.
The department also has started testing users to establish a baseline of where users are at with their knowledge on security, according to Ms. Greve. She said by next year software will be purchased to help with user education and testing. “We will purchase software to test, track, and see where users are at and also do real time education,” she said. “If I send out a phishing email and a user clicks on it, it’s going to notify them right there that it was a potential virus and how they could have detected it.”
IT is starting to implement computer and data appropriate use policies. The policies will describe and enforce what users cannot do on the network, such as using an external USB disk not approved by IT.
Changes, including a near future conversion to the cloud and cracking down on third party vendors, are constant with cybersecurity. “Fifteen years ago security was a thing, but it was not near as much of a thing as it is now,” Ms. Greve said. “Then we had firewalls, and those things were cute, but we really didn’t put a lot of effort in those areas. That has obviously changed. Today we have software and dedicated resources that are constantly watching and making sure we don’t have any intrusions coming in.”
Trustee Randy Langemeier, CPA, MBA, said BBGH needs to make sure it is staying ahead of the curb with cybersecurity protection. “When we approve our budget, we need to make sure we are getting the best that we can,” he said. “This is highly important. It could end up costing us a lot if we don’t do it right.”
Mary Mockerman, Chief Quality Officer, presented information on patient security by providing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) education to board members and a review of recent HIPAA education among hospital employees.
Ms. Mockerman, Ms. Greve, Julie Sheldon and an attorney from Baird Holm form a team that investigates possible HIPAA violations. The team compiled a 30-minute questionnaire given to staff for education. “We completed hospital wide education in the spring and then medical staff in May,” Ms. Mockerman said. “We had really good response and great discussion.”
Ms. Mockerman reinforced the high importance of cybersecurity with patient information. “We have threats coming at us from all directions,” she said. “Patients want to make sure that their information and their family’s information is secure and private.”
Ms. Mockerman also reported that West Nile season has begun with two positive cases confirmed in Nebraska.
Chief Executive Officer Lori Mazanec informed the board that BBGH will be doing the Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey this year. Previously completed in 2016, the survey includes 12 questions that measure the most important elements of employee engagement. “Gallup’s Q12 survey is the most effective measure of employee engagement and its impact on the outcomes that matter most to our organization,” she said. A certified Gallup representative will visit BBGH August 21 to provide training. She will continue to work with the staff and give a status of BBGH’s engagement over the next year.
The board approved the consent calendar, signed confidentiality agreements, approved all credential requests unanimously, and welcomed new employees RN Briana Sherlock, RN Rylee Schnell, RN Brandi Bailey, and CNA Kerriann Jensen. The board also recognized Greater Nebraska Medical & Surgical Services’ (GNMSS) LPN Megan Meggison for being named the July Employee of the Month; GNMSS’ Kristin Ferguson, APRN-BC, for obtaining her Board Certification in Pediatrics; Dietary Manager Delores Fritzler for obtaining her Dietary Manager Certification; and Dialysis LPN Beth Bates as a recipient of the NHA Research and Educational Foundation Health Care Undergraduate Scholarship.
The board entered into executive session at 7:58 p.m. for a medical staff update. They re-entered open session at 8:07 p.m. and adjourned. The next board meeting will be hosted Monday, August 27, at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
Box Butte General Hospital is an equal opportunity provider and employer.