The new revenue cycle risk: Why patient portal security can’t wait

For revenue-cycle leaders, securing patient portals isn’t just an IT issue. It’s a business and trust imperative. A compromised portal means disrupted billing, scheduling, and collections, as well as reduced patient confidence.

Growing cybersecurity threats in healthcare

Digital patient portals like Epic MyChart have become central to modern health-system operations. Patients expect real-time access to records, bills, appointments, and messaging with providers, yet this same convenience can open a door to bad actors.

The U.S. healthcare sector continues to see escalating numbers of hacking and ransomware incidents. Recent statistics show that in 2023, over 700 large breaches were reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), impacting more than 133 million records. In 2024, the number of breaches remained roughly constant, but the number of exposed records increased sharply — from 168 million breached patient records to 275 million.

Patient portals matter. Not only are they a valuable convenience for patients, but they also serve as the digital front door to the revenue cycle. Portals touch billing, scheduling, financial aid, payments, and statements — all key links between patient and provider operations. When bad actors strike here, the consequences cascade.

The reality of patient portal cyber risks

Let’s break down the risk vectors and how they align with patient portal operations:

1. Credential compromise and phishing
   Portal logins often rely on the standard username + password formula, sometimes with an added one-time password (OTP) by SMS or email. Attackers take advantage of reused credentials, phishing of patients or staff, and spoofed portal login pages.
2. Ransomware and system outages
   When an entire health system is hit, patient portals often go offline or are degraded for days or weeks, leaving patients unable to message providers, schedule or request prescriptions online, or pay bills electronically.
3. Unauthorized access via the portal
   There have been breaches in which attackers accessed sensitive health information directly through the patient portal. Weak authentication, phishing, and credential reuse are common factors that can allow unauthorized users to log in or manipulate portal accounts. Without strong security, legitimate features such as password resets or messaging can be exploited to gain access.
4. Legacy systems and fragmented identity controls
   Many patient portal platforms were built years ago with convenience, rather than cybersecurity, as the top priority. As a result, their identity-verification methods often rely on static credentials and leave gaps that modern attackers can exploit. Inconsistent or outdated access controls across interconnected systems compound the risk: one weak link can expose the entire network.
5. Revenue cycle connections
   For a revenue cycle leader, the portal is more than convenience: it’s a gateway for paying bills, updating insurance/financial info, submitting forms, and collecting statements. If bad actors obtain portal access by impersonating patients, they might change billing addresses, reroute refunds, dispute payments, or submit erroneous data. If the portal is offline, patients can’t pay digitally, call centers get swamped, manual processes take over, and collections slow. All of which hurt cash flow and increase cost-to-serve.

Consequences of portal disruption

A compromised or offline patient portal leads to significant operational disruption. Patients, no longer able to use self-service options, call in instead, while staff are forced to process payments, reconcile statements, and refile claims manually. Workflows slow to a crawl, and mistakes accumulate due to human error.

Revenue-cycle disruption is another natural consequence of patient portal breaches. When digital self-service goes dark or becomes insecure, collections drop, manual labor increases, and error rates climb. Patients may make duplicate payments if automated confirmations fail. Manual data entry can lead to incorrect billing or overcharges, so that refunds must be issued. Misbilling can also lead to inaccuracies that cause insurers to reject claims. Administrative overhead grows, as does the risk of compliance exposure. And as the 720 significant US healthcare breaches reported in 2024 tell us, these problems are far from rare.

Strengthening the revenue cycle with Imprivata Patient Access

Every interaction that touches patient data or payments begins with identity. When access is weak or inconsistent, the entire revenue cycle is exposed — to fraud, disputes, compliance risk, and patient mistrust. Imprivata Patient Access brings passwordless, biometric authentication to the patient experience, giving health systems a secure, seamless way to verify identity without adding friction.

Imprivata Patient Access supports traditional logins with high-assurance identity verification and biometric face authentication that confirms the right person is managing the right account. The result is a step-change in protection against credential theft, impersonation, and payment fraud, delivered through a simple and intuitive login experience.

Imprivata Patient Access also offers:

Seamless integration with Epic MyChart: For organizations using Epic MyChart, Imprivata Patient Access embeds directly into the existing workflow. Patients can authenticate at check in, securely and transparently, with no extra steps, codes, or pop-ups. Meanwhile, health systems gain continuous identity assurance across the entire care journey. Protecting the “front door” of MyChart means safeguarding every revenue-related transaction downstream.

Measurable impact on reimbursement and revenue-cycle performance: By reducing duplicate patient records and preventing misidentification events, Imprivata Patient Access removes a major source of reimbursement friction. Accurate patient-to-record matching at the front end improves clean claim rates, reduces downstream rework and denials, and accelerates payment timelines. As a result, organizations see fewer manual interventions, lower refund and adjustment activity, and smoother digital collections — all while reinforcing patient trust in self-service and registration workflows.

Supporting compliance and patient trust: Imprivata aligns with HIPAA and other regulatory requirements for access control and the protection of protected health information (PHI). More importantly, it gives patients confidence that their financial and personal data are protected. That confidence fuels engagement, laying a foundation for healthier revenue and stronger patient relationships.

Secure identity. Confident patients. Stronger revenue.

The benefits of patient portals and self-service depend on the health system’s ability to confidently assure secure, reliable access. When organizations cannot guarantee that digital entry points are protected, resilient, and easy to use, patient trust erodes—slowing digital adoption, increasing reliance on costly manual support, and weakening brand credibility. Health systems that deliver consistent, secure access protect both the patient experience and the financial performance of their digital front door.

When the patient portal becomes a secure, frictionless entry point, it protects not just data but also the organization's financial health. Imprivata Patient Access turns biometric identity verification into a strategic advantage that unites security, patient experience, and revenue integrity.

Get in touch to see a demonstration of Imprivata Patient Access in action.