Keep patient records private and your practice running.
When a practice's computers go down, appointments stop, claims stop and patients are turned away. When patient files leak, the damage to trust lasts far longer. Most practices have neither an IT department nor time to think about either.
The risks that are specific to practices
Health data is worth more
Diagnoses, prescriptions and medical-aid numbers are valuable for fraud and extortion, which makes practices of every size a target.
The front-desk computer
Reception PCs handle bookings, email, medical-aid portals and web browsing, often on one shared log-in. They're the easiest way in.
Old machines attached to equipment
Workstations connected to imaging or diagnostic devices often run outdated software that is rarely updated, because nobody wants to break them.
Ransomware stops patient care
Without access to the practice management system there are no patient histories, no billing and no claims, so practices feel pressure to pay quickly.
Patient confidentiality, POPIA and the HPCSA
POPIA classes information about a person's health as special personal information, with stricter rules on how it may be processed. Combined with section 19's security requirement, that means the bar for 'reasonable measures' at a medical practice is higher than at most small businesses.
The National Health Act and HPCSA ethical guidelines already require you to keep patient records confidential. If records are accessed by someone unauthorised, POPIA section 22 requires you to notify the Information Regulator and the affected patients as soon as reasonably possible. You can only do that if you know it happened.
A quiet problem, caught before it became a breach
How monitoring changes the outcome at a typical three-doctor practice: (Illustrative example.)
- MonVulnerability monitoring flags that the reception PC and an older consulting-room workstation are missing several critical security updates.
- TueThe practice's IT contractor patches both machines, using the dashboard to confirm which updates matter most.
- Thu, 21:30After hours, file integrity monitoring notices unexpected changes in the folder that stores scanned patient documents.
- Thu, 21:31The practice manager gets an alert that explains, in plain language, which machine and which files are involved, and what to check first.
Built for medical practices without a security team
File integrity monitoring
Know when files in sensitive locations, such as patient records and scanned documents, are changed unexpectedly.
Vulnerability monitoring
Spot the outdated machines that are easy to forget, including the ones attached to medical equipment.
Automated response, day or night
Common threats are contained automatically, even when the practice is closed.
Compliance evidence
Map your monitoring to POPIA controls with evidence built from your own devices, ready if you're ever asked.
Protect your medical practice, starting today
Start a 7-day free trial and see your devices' security posture within minutes. No card required.
Not ready for a trial?Take the free 3-minute POPIA Security Readiness Check