NIST's First Cybersecurity Practice Guide: Securing Electronic Health Records On Mobile Devices

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a draft of Securing Electronic Records on Mobile Devices, the institute's first practice guide in a series designed to help organizations improve cybersecurity.  The guide demonstrates how health care providers can more securely share patient information using mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.  While the guide is not a guarantee of compliance, providers can use it to help implement relevant standards and best practices in the NIST Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule.

The Landscape.

Health care providers rely more and more upon mobile devices to store, access, and transmit electronic health records.  Recent research indicates approximately 87% of physicians use a smartphone or tablet in the workplace.¹  Device-enabled tasks include exchanging patient information, submitting