Authentication management
How to manage healthcare authentication workflows securely
Healthcare organizations need a robust authentication management system that balances patient privacy with clinical convenience. To manage the diverse authentication and security needs of healthcare organizations, healthcare IT professionals need centralized solutions that offer easy deployment, robust support, reliable security, and intuitive user experiences for a variety of clinical workflows.
The most important clinical workflows for authentication management professionals to consider are:
- Enterprise single sign-on (SSO): a centralized authentication system that enables clinical users to access patient information securely and conveniently, without wasting time with repetitive manual password requirements. The best SSO solutions provide easy administration for IT staff, robust authentication management capabilities, and quick clinical access to patient information.
- Two-factor authentication for electronic prescriptions for controlled substances (EPCS) order signing: the DEA has specific multi-factor authentication requirements for EPCS, designed to improve patient safety and safeguard against prescription fraud. The best EPCS authentication solutions offer flexible two-factor authentication options that integrate directly with existing clinical workflows and meet strict DEA and state-level EPCS authentication requirements.
- Medical device access: to enhance security, an increasing number of medical device vendors are offering strong authentication options for device access, enabling providers to securely access patient information and expedite patient care. The best medical device authentication solutions forge strong partnerships with medical device vendors and actively support interoperability in diverse IT environments.
- Authentication management for remote access: with the rise of remote working, hospital IT departments are rolling out robust remote access requirements which can be alleviated by convenient multifactor authentication technologies. The best remote access authentication solutions are built to satisfy strong cybersecurity best practices while leveraging the full potential of convenient mobile authentication and other flexible multi-factor authentication capabilities.
- Other clinical authentication workflows: a number of other clinical workflows, including computerized physician order entry (CPOE), medication ordering, witnessing medication wasting, and blood administration can benefit from centralized authentication management. The best clinical workflow authentication solutions provide flexible authentication options that integrate into a variety of workflows without disrupting clinicians’ focus, or detracting from the speed, or quality, of patient care.
Given the diverse range of authentication requirements in healthcare, the best authentication management solutions provide flexible authentication options for users while maintaining strong security and administration capabilities for IT staff. By balancing cybersecurity requirements with convenient user experience, healthcare IT vendors can simultaneously safeguard patient data and streamline patient care.
To learn about how IT leaders are using Imprivata solutions to compliment their authentication management strategies and strike the right balance between security and convenience, learn from Imprivata customers’ experiences by exploring our customer success stories.
