Ponemon report makes case for single sign-on
An average clinician spends 122 hours per year (three business weeks) trying to access information from various EMRs, according to a June report from the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Imprivata.
“This is caused by the overabundance of passwords and logins being managed to access the applications needed for accessing patient care,” the report stated.
Four hundred and four health IT representatives nationwide were surveyed for the report. Respondents used an average of 6.4 different passwords or personal identification numbers to access critical applications and patient data, the survey found. On average, respondents said they have 11 to 30 applications that use single sign-on (SSO) access technology.
According to the national study, SSO technology can decrease the amount of time clinicians spend on the access process. “SSO technology saves clinicians an average of 9.51 minutes a day,” which translates into an estimated $2,675 per clinician each year--an annual savings of more than $2.6 million, the report added.
Thirty-one percent of respondents directly observed or personally experienced efficiency gains using SSO, the report noted. Seventy-two percent of respondents believed clinical operations become more efficient with SSO. Similarly, 68 percent believed SSO increases the efficiency of administrative activities.
Reducing helpdesk calls (93 percent), saving time (77 percent), reducing log-on errors (75 percent) and improving workflow (75 percent) are the main benefits realized from SSO, according to survey respondents. Increased clinician time with patients is another substantial benefit, according to 41 percent of respondents.
Security is a major issue for healthcare organizations because of the sensitive and confidential data they collect and retain, the study noted. In the 2010 annual study on data breach costs for U.S. organizations, Ponemon determined that the average cost of one lost or stolen record is $214. In the healthcare industry, the average cost is estimated to be $294 per compromised record, the research organization stated. "In a recent benchmark study, we estimated that healthcare providers were incurring, on average, more than $2 million every two years as a direct result of data loss or theft," the institute reported.
Employee negligence, such as sharing of passwords or leaving passwords in plain sight, puts an organization at risk of having a data breach, the report said. "By having a strong authentication and access management, organizations can mitigate or reduce the incidence of a data loss. In addition, a strong password authentication solution can reduce or eliminate the burdens helpdesk departments face when employees forget complex passwords," the report concluded.
“This is caused by the overabundance of passwords and logins being managed to access the applications needed for accessing patient care,” the report stated.
Four hundred and four health IT representatives nationwide were surveyed for the report. Respondents used an average of 6.4 different passwords or personal identification numbers to access critical applications and patient data, the survey found. On average, respondents said they have 11 to 30 applications that use single sign-on (SSO) access technology.
According to the national study, SSO technology can decrease the amount of time clinicians spend on the access process. “SSO technology saves clinicians an average of 9.51 minutes a day,” which translates into an estimated $2,675 per clinician each year--an annual savings of more than $2.6 million, the report added.
Thirty-one percent of respondents directly observed or personally experienced efficiency gains using SSO, the report noted. Seventy-two percent of respondents believed clinical operations become more efficient with SSO. Similarly, 68 percent believed SSO increases the efficiency of administrative activities.
Reducing helpdesk calls (93 percent), saving time (77 percent), reducing log-on errors (75 percent) and improving workflow (75 percent) are the main benefits realized from SSO, according to survey respondents. Increased clinician time with patients is another substantial benefit, according to 41 percent of respondents.
Security is a major issue for healthcare organizations because of the sensitive and confidential data they collect and retain, the study noted. In the 2010 annual study on data breach costs for U.S. organizations, Ponemon determined that the average cost of one lost or stolen record is $214. In the healthcare industry, the average cost is estimated to be $294 per compromised record, the research organization stated. "In a recent benchmark study, we estimated that healthcare providers were incurring, on average, more than $2 million every two years as a direct result of data loss or theft," the institute reported.
Employee negligence, such as sharing of passwords or leaving passwords in plain sight, puts an organization at risk of having a data breach, the report said. "By having a strong authentication and access management, organizations can mitigate or reduce the incidence of a data loss. In addition, a strong password authentication solution can reduce or eliminate the burdens helpdesk departments face when employees forget complex passwords," the report concluded.