Tag: Healthcare Industry

The recent ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, has highlighted critical vulnerabilities within the healthcare sector. This incident disrupted the processing of insurance claims, causing significant distress for patients and providers alike. Pharmacies struggled to process prescriptions, and patients were forced to pay out-of-pocket for essential medications, underscoring the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures in healthcare.

The urgency of strengthening cybersecurity is not limited to the United States. In India, the scale of cyber threats faced by healthcare institutions is even more pronounced. In 2023 alone, India witnessed an average of 2,138 cyber attacks per week on each organization, a 15% increase from the previous year, positioning it as the second most targeted nation in the Asia Pacific region. A notable incident that year involved a massive data breach at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which exposed sensitive information of over 81.5 crore Indians, thereby highlighting the global nature of these threats.

This challenge is not one that funding alone can solve. It requires a comprehensive approach that fights fire with fire—or, in modern times, staves off AI attacks with AI security. Anything short of this leaves private institutions, and ultimately their patients, at risk of losing personal information, limiting access to healthcare, and destabilising the flow of necessary medication. Attackers have shown us that the healthcare sector must be considered critical infrastructure.

The Healthcare Sector: A Prime Target for Cyberattacks

Due to the sensitive nature of the data it handles, the healthcare industry has become a primary target for cybercriminals. Personal health information (PHI) is precious on the black market, making healthcare providers attractive targets for ransomware attacks—regardless of any moral ground they may claim to stand on regarding healthcare.

In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, hospitals were overrun with patients, and healthcare systems seemed to be in danger of collapsing under the strain. It was believed that healthcare would be a bridge too far at the time. Hacking groups DoppelPaymer and Maze stated they “[D]on’t target healthcare companies, local governments, or 911 services.” If those organisations accidentally became infected, the ransomware groups’ operators would supply a free decryptor.

Since AI technology has advanced and medical device security lags, the ease of attack and the potential reward for doing so have made healthcare institutions too tempting to ignore. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at Health and Human Services (HHS) is investigating the Change Healthcare attack to understand how it happened. The investigation will address whether Change Healthcare followed HIPAA rules. However, in past healthcare breaches, HIPAA compliance was often a non-factor. Breaches by both Chinese nationals and various ransomware gangs show that attackers are indifferent to HIPAA compliance.

To Know More, Read Full Article @ https://ai-techpark.com/cybersecurity-urgency-in-healthcare/

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The term robot was invented by the Robotics Institute of America in the late 1940s as a machine that executes mechanical functions just like human beings but lacks the same “sensitivity” as a human.

Initially, robots were designed and employed to work like humans, especially in the manufacturing industry, FMCG industry, and automotive industry, but later, robotics engineers observed that they were capable of working in other application areas due to their ability to multitask efficiently and faster. Hence, robotics engineers introduced medical robotics into the healthcare sector, causing a drastic change in the outlook for treatment and diagnostics.

With advances in technologies, the utilization of robotic devices has upscaled from spearheading lab tests to automating medical procedures to collaborative robotics (cobots), helping healthcare workers in surgeries and improving treatment outcomes with negligible error encounters.

This exclusive AI Tech Park article focuses on the application of cobots in healthcare while keeping ethical considerations in mind. In addition, we will also focus on the ongoing research and development of robotics in healthcare.

Application of Collaborative Robots in Healthcare

In this section, we will highlight the application areas where collaboration between robots and healthcare practitioners can improve healthcare outcomes, such as helping with surgeries or offering personalized patient care. The below subtopics explore the different aspects of collaborative robots with humans.

Cobots in Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy

The rehab cobots are developed to help impaired and injured patients recover from accidents so that they can lead normal lives. One will find a variety of rehab robots that are intended to help patients with numerous medical conditions, including cerebral palsy, stroke, and injuries to bones or muscles. One such example is Orthoses, a robotic exoskeleton system that assists paralyzed patients in limb movement. This system works on “pre-set user-defined commands” that are fed into the robot to read the user’s mind and act accordingly.

Some studies show that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a positive reaction to therapies when interacting with cobots, as they have various AI functions such as playing games and recognizing facial expressions that keep patients motivated and entertained throughout the therapy journey. For instance, the Keepon robot developed by Hideki Kozima is a unique robot that studies autistic behavioral changes in children and monitors their overall health.  

Cobots in Precision Surgery

With the advancement of technology, cobots have been assisting surgeons in critical operations. These surgery cobots are categorized under Active Surgical Systems, which pre-program electronics and can work autonomously; Master-Slave Systems, which are totally under the control of surgeons; and Semi-Active Systems, which allow surgeon-driven electronics with pre-programmed electronics. The most commonly used cobot system (Master-Slave System) in the healthcare industry is the DaVinci system, a robotic arm that mimics the surgeon’s hand movement into smaller and more precise actions for less invasive and complex surgeon procedures.  

To Know More, Read Full Article @ https://ai-techpark.com/collaborative-robots-in-healthcare/ 

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