Payers are establishing innovative ways to provide better care and improve the overall patient experience, according to America’s Health Insurance Plans.

Some of the largest companies tripled cyber-defense budgets in the last three to four years amid a surge of attacks on client information, accounts and other data.

Blue Cross of Idaho Health Service has had a data breach after an unauthorized user accessed the online provider portal with the intent of fraudulently rerouting a provider financial transaction.

Big data offers ample opportunities, but also increases security concerns because online data is so much more vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Rich Baich takes over the top data protection role at the carrier effective in late April.

Organizations are struggling to keep their cyber security workforce staffed, as competitors increasingly lure employees who are enticed by higher pay and bonuses.

Bridger Insurance says the incident, reported in Sept. 2018, involved some access of insurance application data.

CHIME, a professional association for chief information officers, and AEHiS, which represents chief information security officers, seek tighter control of devices for security purposes.

The nature of insurtechs make them very attractive targets, as connected technology creates new gateways for cyber criminals.

Security must be at the table when working on new initiatives in order to minimize risk and ensure trust, says Accenture.