Developing a Cross-institutional Information Security Program

Healthcare organizations across the country are searching for methods to address escalating healthcare costs. One strategy is to leverage resources across affiliated but independent organizations. This approach is common in other industries; yet, protecting confidential patient information is unique to the healthcare industry. Guaranteed protection of patient confidentiality is a critical step in any inter-organizational strategy. Because of the need to leverage resources, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) and its affiliates initiated a cross-institutional effort to address information security and confidentiality issues.