An alarming trend persisted in 2020 as hospitals and health systems battled COVID-19 surges and raced to develop a better understanding of the virus: hacking incidents increased for the fifth year in a row. 

Studies predating the COVID-19 pandemic estimated that as many as 15 percent of healthcare professionals will misuse substances during their lifetime. Now exceedingly overworked and under-resourced due to the crisis, clinicians with easy access to powerful medications are especially vulnerable to addiction and the temptation to divert drugs. In other words, the number of healthcare professionals who misuse substances may now be much higher.

Protenus recently achieved recognition as a Great Place to Work-Certified™ company for the second consecutive year. It is an honor we are immensely proud to receive, and we believe that it reflects the healthy company culture that each member of our team works hard to nurture and maintain.

Our mission at Protenus is to advance the science of healthcare by bringing together creative and skilled individuals who are passionate about the security, usability, and applicability of health data. As this information becomes more voluminous, comprehensive, and, as a consequence, more vulnerable, we are building scalable, insightful solutions that address critical issues preventing the efficient, safe, and effective delivery of patient care. 

Though it dominated media coverage, COVID-19 wasn't the only silent enemy healthcare organizations battled in 2020. Amid the chaos of the pandemic, hospitals and health systems were also ravaged by health data breaches, which were up 30% in 2020 compared to 2019. A new trend emerged of at least two data breaches per day.