New Zealand-headquartered Orion Health has gained major security credentials for two of its software offerings, placing itself among the ranks of organisations that are recognised for prioritising security practices.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT

Its platform for population health management and precision medicine, Amadeus, has been certified for information security by HITRUST. Amadeus provides health professionals with real-time cognitive support to make the best possible decisions at the point of care. It is capable of data aggregation and has a privacy capability that enables controlled access to patient information based on user roles and the sensitivity of patient data.

The two-year certification status meant that the platform has met key regulations and industry-defined requirements and is appropriately managing risks, according to HITRUST. "The fact that Orion Health's Amadeus has achieved HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year Certification attests to the high quality of their information risk management and compliance program," said Bimal Sheth, HITRUST EVP for Standards Development and Assurance Operations.

Meanwhile, Orion Health's Communicate platform has also received full accreditation via the DirectTrust Accreditation Program for Health Information Service Providers (HISP). The software solution facilitates protected communication between patients, healthcare providers and organisations across desktops and EMR systems. 

Following an audit, Communicate has been found to be fully compliant with the Direct Standard and the requirements of the DirectTrust Security and Trust Framework. "DirectTrust HISP accreditation certifies that an organisation has established and upheld a superior level of trust for its stakeholders, which is a significant distinction," said DirectTrust president and CEO Scott Stuewe. 

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Orion Health is beefing up its security profile as the healthcare industry is also on the lookout for providers who can help raise their defences amid mounting cybersecurity threats.

Last year saw the healthcare industry among the top three attacked industries worldwide, next to education and government, based on a report by Check Point Research. In the United States, for example, each healthcare organisation experienced an average of 1,410 cyberattacks weekly, which is 86% higher than the attacks recorded in 2021.

ON THE RECORD

"Handling important data across our people, clinicians, and data science platforms comes with great responsibility. This means information security is of the utmost importance to us at Orion Health. These certifications are testaments to our commitment to data security and our world-leading technical infrastructure supporting customers all around the world," Orion Health CISO Grant Anthony said in a comment.