When was the last time you visited your doctor? Do you remember what it was like just 10 years ago?

Today's doctor visits are night-and-day different from yesterday's. This rings true especially in regards to efficiency and technological workflow, with descriptions of medical issues and diagnoses being auto-fed into applications that send prescriptions to the pharmacy.

These advancements have come on quickly, too, since it wasn’t that long ago when we used to take a piece of paper (with terrible handwriting) to the local drug store to get our medications.

And it’s not just limited to local healthcare. When you visit the emergency room these days, you might use a portable workstation on wheels to input your insurance information and make a payment. Then the doctor who visits you taps on his iPad and paperwork gets printed at the nurses' station.

When you leave, you can access your records, X-rays, and diagnostics all through a web portal—it’s truly amazing. As with everything in technology, however, there is a risk associated with all of this.

Security risks

Top of mind are the security risks associated with this wonderful way of working. Workstations could be vulnerable to ransomware or many more exit points for data leakage.

As our healthcare becomes mobile, portable, and accessible, it stands to reason that our security barriers must become stronger.

But it’s about ironing out the details, too. When a doctor walks into a patient's room, the correct printer needs to be assigned so that someone in intensive care isn't printing instructions two floors below in pediatrics.

Ivanti can help

This year, Ivanti will be at the HIMSS conference in booth 842. I’ll be there to chat through these challenges and to give insight into how we can address them. Come visit our booth and let’s talk about how the healthcare industry is changing.

Also, on Monday night, we’re hosting a reception with some of our partners including Spadafy, Igel and ControlUp, organizations which sit alongside us focusing technology at some of the problems we are seeing in our hospitals and healthcare providers today. Come along and have a chat!

Here’s the registration link. See you soon!