Imagine this: a world where your medical history seamlessly follows you, accessible by authorized providers instantly, regardless of location. Appointments are a breeze, managed through a user-friendly app, and prescriptions are filled with a tap of your phone. This is the future envisioned by the digitalization of healthcare. However, the path forward is not without its challenges.

In this blog article, we'll delve into the exciting world of healthcare digitalization. We'll explore its immense potential to improve patient experiences and healthcare delivery. But we won't shy away from the critical issue of cybersecurity which might deeply impact on patient safety and care delivery. We'll examine the vulnerabilities inherent in this digital landscape and explore how secure electronic identification (eID) can be a game-changer, paving the way for a well-managed and secure healthcare experience.

The Digitalization in Healthcare: Security Concerns and the Power of Digital IDs

The healthcare industry is riding a wave of digitalization, with new exciting possibilities for both patients and institutions.  Digitalizing healthcare promises a revolution: Electronic Health Records (EHRs) for secure data sharing, resource access, telemedicine consultations for remote access to specialists, Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets and wearable devices for empowered patient self-management.

What are the electronic health records (EHRs)?

Electronic health records (EHRs) are the digital versions of a patient's traditional paper medical charts. Electronic health records containing personal identifiable information (PII) and personal health information (PHI), including:

  • Demographics
  • Diagnoses
  • Medications
  • Treatment plans
  • Immunization dates
  • Allergies
  • Radiology images
  • Laboratory and test results

This comprehensive record of a patient's medical history such as medical records and patient data, are highly sought after by cybercriminals.

This digital transformation offers a bounty of benefits. We can summarize them as follows.

Enhanced Efficiency: Streamlined workflows, faster appointments, and better resource allocation.

Improved Care Quality: More informed treatment decisions and better continuity of care across providers.

Empowered Patients: Greater control over health information and active participation in unified healthcare journeys.

Precision Medicine: Personalized treatments tailored to individual patients' needs.

However, alongside these opportunities lie challenges. Security is paramount. Patient identification and data protection are crucial. Here's where digital IDs enter the picture.

What is the current state of digital vulnerability in healthcare?

The industry has swiftly embraced digital innovations like electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, and Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets. While these advancements offer myriad advantages, they simultaneously broaden the attack surface, presenting cybercriminals with additional entry points.

Despite the increasing trend and demand for digitization in the healthcare sector, priorities and measures regarding cybersecurity have yet to be fulfilled. Being one of the most vulnerable sectors to cyber-attacks, the healthcare sector requires the elimination of digital insecurity. At the heart of this security and modernization process lies digital identity.

Healthcare data is highly valuable to cyber attackers, nearly 10% to 20% more than other types of information like credit card data. However, healthcare institutions typically allocate less expenditure to cybersecurity compared to sectors such as financial services.

Unfortunately, many healthcare institutions still manage identity and access processes with legacy systems that have not been modernized and do not meet current requirements. There is a need to meet secure access requirements in real-time for many types of identities, including for on-premises, cloud, and SaaS applications.

Why do we need preventive measures?

The healthcare sector has emerged as a primary target for cybercriminals because of the extensive volume of sensitive patient data it possesses and the critical nature of its operations. Cyberattacks targeting healthcare organizations pose significant risks, endangering both the lives of patients and the stability of entire healthcare institutions.

The interruption of critical healthcare services, manipulation of medical records, or unauthorized access to medical devices and resources can cause operational damages and cost because of data breach and, more importantly, endanger patients' lives. With a prioritized focus on Identity-first Security, cyber resilience measures are essential to safeguard patient safety and institutional stability. In line with a solid, holistic security approach which is based on Zero Trust, implementing modern and regulatory-compliant IAM solution is essential to keeping in safe the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of patient data.

In 2023, the healthcare sector reported data breaches costing an average of $10.93 million per breach,approximately double the amount of the finance sector, which ranked second with an average cost of $5.9 million per breach.

The healthcare industry's susceptibility to cyber attackers, coupled with the proliferation of cyber-attack channels and escalating costs associated with data breaches, underscores the pressing necessity for preemptive measures.

Why secure electronic identification (eID) and strong authentication matter?

Ultimate solution for both cyber-risks and compliance
In the healthcare sector, secure electronic identification (eID) plays a pivotal role in safeguarding patient information and ensuring the integrity of healthcare processes. Identity verification is paramount in healthcare settings to accurately match patients with their medical records and prevent errors in treatment. Through secure eIDs, healthcare providers can authenticate patients' identities both in-person and online, reducing the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive health data. For example, it’s possible to process customer onboarding steps like easily and quickly converting “unknown” visitors into “known” customers at account registration and activation. Healthcare institutions have the capability to integrate social login options seamlessly into a customer journey workflow by utilizing connectors to platforms such as Google and Facebook, allowing for streamlined access and strong authentication processes. Additionally, secure eIDs enable multifactor authentication methods, adding layers of security to patient portals and electronic health record systems, thereby mitigating the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to medical records. This authentication process is crucial in maintaining patient privacy and compliance with regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR, which mandate the protection of personal health information.

Moreover, secure electronic identification facilitates efficient access to healthcare resources while upholding patient privacy and data security. With the increasing adoption of telemedicine and remote consultations, secure identity and access management enables healthcare providers to securely orchestrate patients’ identities in virtual healthcare interactions, ensuring the confidentiality of medical consultations. Patients can securely access their electronic health records through patient portals, benefiting from seamless digital experience which is powered by strong authentication against unauthorized access.

Seamless experience for all stakeholders
Nevertheless, securely modernizing identity in healthcare has positive impacts not only on the security of all stakeholders' data and privacy but also on the digital wellness and experience within the sector. Better identity orchestration facilitates the secure exchange of healthcare operation information between different healthcare providers and organizations, enhancing care coordination and improving healthcare outcomes. This can streamline processes, improve resource access, and uphold patient privacy, thereby advancing the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.

With modernized and HIPAA compliant solutions, maintaining regulatory compliance, reducing vulnerability costs, enhancing the healthcare digital experience, and managing the patient lifecycle in the most effective way - all of these should be on the agenda of healthcare executives.

Can Digital ID Wallet be catalyzer for well-managed Digital Healthcare Experience?

Imagine a single platform where secure identity authentication utilizes multiple factors, including biometric features such as fingerprint or facial recognition, to verify patient identities. This platform will not only ensure secure access to medical records but also prevent fraud and unauthorized access. On the other hand, it will provide patients with full control and privacy over their digital identities. Research indicates that due to the tremendous benefits it offers, the adoption of digital identity is a significant driver for the adoption of healthcare services.

Identity information may include name, date of birth, gender, address, and other contact details. And all of this information can be securely stored within a digital wallet. A wallet may also contain sensitive personal information such as medical records, insurance coverage, electronic prescriptions, and financial history.

The development of a digital identity ecosystem is already being similarly discussed at EU level and the project has been agreed. For example, thanks to Digital ID Wallet, European citizens can store and share your European Health Insurance Card. (To access KOBIL's detailed book on EU’s Digital ID Wallet Initiative, visit).

According to PMNTS' study 'Healthcare in The Digital Age: Consumers See Unified Platforms As Key To Better Health,' 79% of consumers want to pay their medical bills and access health information through a single digital platform.

Identity authentication, passwordless authentication, and multi-factor authentication limit the risk of malicious individuals using stolen identity information or other personally identifiable information (PII) obtained through phishing attacks or data breaches. A digital identity wallet serves as a portable digital vault. Additionally, it smooths the frictional and disjointed experience between digital identity and digital financial services in the healthcare sector.

Modernize Your IAM System with KOBIL Solutions

KOBIL maintains its global position in the field by focusing on the importance of digital identification and ensuring their security. They strive to provide secure digital identity and access management, implement robust authentication methods, and expand the application areas of digital identity wallets. In this regard, they make efforts to comply with all European standards such as GDPR, PSD2, HIPAA, and others, while emphasizing collaborative efforts with relevant partners to modernize digitalization in the healthcare sector and enhance identity and access management.

  • Develop Holistic Cybersecurity with Zero Trust Approach
  • Enhance Customer Experiences Through Tailored IAM Functionality and Identity Portability
  • Increase Workspace Identity and Cooperation with Role-Based Access Flow and AI-Powered Automation
  • Deliver Secure and Seamless User Experience through Single Platform
  • Revitalize the Broken Healthcare Financial Journey

About KOBIL

KOBIL is a global technology company focusing on secure digital identity and all-in-one multi-sided platform technologies. Since 1986, as a trusted Identity partner, KOBIL has been playing a vital role in the development of new encryption standards for identity-first security and regulatory-compliant solutions. Offering cutting-edge solutions for application shielding, user authentication, transaction authorization, and more, KOBIL is a market pioneer in digital identity and mobile security management. With over 500 employees worldwide, KOBIL is trusted by 5000+ stakeholders from banks to SMEs and start-ups, including the world's largest and most trusted organizations like the German Government,Raiffeisen, Erste, ING, Airbus,DATEV, Migrosand Siemens. KOBIL's recent innovation uniting all identity talents within a SuperApp platform highlight its commitment to compliance and innovation. KOBIL GmbH is the most visionary and market-leading provider of secure data technology solutions, with over 100+ million end users benefiting from its solutions. It operates in five headquarters—Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, the USA, and the UK—providing future-proofed projects and tech solutions across the world.