Protect Patient Information Research Articles

Cybersecurity Threats in Healthcare IT: Challenges, Risks, and Mitigation Strategies

The healthcare industry's reliance on digital technology to improve patient care, operations, and performance has exposed it to cybersecurity threats. The extensive capture, storage, and transmission of confidential data by healthcare institutions has led to a significant prevalence of cyber-attacks. The intersection of healthcare and information technology presents considerable challenges, with patient privacy, the security of medical devices, and the continuity of essential healthcare services all at risk. This study offers a contemporary contextual analysis of IT cybersecurity concerns within the healthcare sector. It employs a systematic methodology to delineate critical risk factors and threats, the strategies they might utilize to attain their compromise aims, and the repercussions they may impose on healthcare delivery. It also explores the measures and guidelines to address this risk. The study highlights the existence of many threats experienced by healthcare organizations, such as data theft and leakage, ransomware, cyber-attacks in different forms, and contaminated medical equipment. One prominent example is the WannaCry attack on the United Kingdom's National Health Service in 2017. According to the survey, there is a severe scarcity of qualified personnel in healthcare organizations who can defend against cyber threats effectively and efficiently, underscoring the urgent need for skilled professionals in cybersecurity. This analysis also discusses various considerations concerning achieving high availability and protecting data in healthcare businesses. It examines how emerging applications like IoMT enhance the quality of medical services for patients and the security challenges these devices pose. The report evaluates the sufficiency of existing regulatory guidelines in addressing emerging dangers, including HIPAA vulnerabilities. The current definitive framework underscores the critical importance of enhancing cybersecurity within healthcare IT. It elucidates optimal strategies for mitigating cyber hazards by promoting technological prevention, staff training, and adherence to organizational policies. The work emphasizes the necessity for ongoing research, the establishment of collaboration between medical professionals and IT security experts, and the formulation of effective strategies to protect patient information and ensure the continuity of healthcare delivery in the face of increasing cyber-attack threats in digitalization.

Exploring the integration of blockchain technology in healthcare monitoring systems for enhanced security and data integrity of patient information

The rapidly evolving healthcare landscape has intensified the focus on the integrity and security of patient data, raising critical concerns about safeguarding sensitive information. This research paper investigates the integration of blockchain technology within healthcare monitoring systems, aiming to establish secure and tamper-proof patient data management frameworks. By harnessing the decentralized and immutable characteristics of blockchain, this study explores the potential to enhance data security, streamline patient information access, and ultimately improve health outcomes. The methodology adopts a mixed-methods approach that includes a comprehensive literature review, case studies of current blockchain applications in healthcare, and expert interviews. Findings indicate that integrating blockchain can significantly reduce risks associated with data breaches and unauthorized access, thereby fostering increased trust between patients and healthcare providers. This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on innovative technological solutions for protecting patient information and offers a foundation for future research in this critical area.

Leveraging convolutional neural networks and hashing techniques for the secure classification of monkeypox disease

The World Health Organization declared a state of emergency in 2022 because of monkeypox. This disease has raised international concern as it has spread beyond Africa, where it is endemic. The global community has shown attention and solidarity in combating this disease as its daily increase becomes evident. Various skin symptoms appear in people infected with this disease, which can spread easily, especially in a polluted environment. It is difficult to diagnose monkeypox in its early stages because of its similarity with the symptoms of other diseases such as chicken pox and measles. Recently, computer-aided classification methods such as deep learning and machine learning within artificial intelligence have been employed to detect various diseases, including COVID-19, tumor cells, and Monkeypox, in a short period and with high accuracy. In this study, we propose the CanDark model, an end-to-end deep-learning model that incorporates cancelable biometrics for diagnosing Monkeypox. CanDark stands for cancelable DarkNet-53, which means that DarkNet-53 CNN is utilized for extracting deep features from Monkeypox skin images. Then a cancelable method is applied to these features to protect patient information. Various cancelable techniques have been evaluated, such as bio-hashing, multilayer perceptron (MLP) hashing, index-of-maximum Gaussian random projection-based hashing (IoM-GRP), and index-of-maximum uniformly random permutation-based hashing (IoM-URP). The proposed approach’s performance is evaluated using various assessment issues such as accuracy, specificity, precision, recall, and fscore. Using the IoM-URP, the CanDark model is superior to other state-of-the-art Monkeypox diagnostic techniques. The proposed framework achieved an accuracy of 98.81%, a specificity of 98.73%, a precision of 98.9%, a recall of 97.02%, and fscore of 97.95%.

AI security in different industries: A comprehensive review of vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies

Artificial intelligence has quickly and gradually spread across all sectors and fields, achieving exceptional performance in operations and decision-making. Yet, as industries process their tasks with the help of AI systems, new threats appear that require proper solutions. In the following section of this paper, the use of security solutions involving AI in various industries, which are finance, health, manufacturing, and government, as well as a discussion of risks involving artificial intelligence in particular fields and the corresponding measures to be taken against them will be discussed. AI is often applied to detect fraud and credit scoring in the financial sector but has potential risks, such as adversarial attacks and data manipulation. Similarly, the healthcare industry uses AI for predictive healthcare diagnostics and patient information protection; threats are data theft and adversarial examples attacking diagnostic models. In manufacturing, AI individuals contain predictive servicing and excellent control, though they are constantly exposed to industrial espionage and the sabotage of AI models. In retail, however, AI is used to improve marketing and predict consumer behavior. While these benefits exist, questions about using Algorithms that could be biased and privacy infringements continue to raise their ugly head. Defensive and governmental organizations that apply AI for surveillance or automatic operating systems are most vulnerable to adversarial intervention with key control systems and innate security systems. To counter such threats, this paper provides details of industry-specific measures, including adversarial training data sanitization, AI model audit, and privacy-preserving approaches. We illustrate examples linked to every one of these methods to show how they can be deployed in a variety of industries and to guard AI systems. To this end, the following review of the relationship between AI and cybersecurity demonstrates that security measures that rely on artificial intelligence must be regularly checked and updated. This reveals the call for proper, protective, and industry-specific measures to manage the risks and protect AI applications to ensure that the world’s modern, interconnected world is safe for AI.

Practices and systems employed by health professionals toward protection and confidentiality of patient health records in Ghana

ObjectivesHealth information relies on a patient's sensory perceptions as well as objective assessments, diagnoses, and test findings. Ghana's current laws governing the confidentiality of patient health data seems a little pertinent in spite of ongoing conversations on the significance of patient health information and the necessity to protect patient information from improper disclosure. The study therefore investigated the extent of patient confidentiality in Ghana by looking into the guidelines, regulations, and rules that govern patient records. MethodsThe interpretive, phenomenological, and narrative methodologies used in qualitative research were employed to study the phenomenon. Twenty (20) participants were interviewed in a semi-structured manner to gather the data needed for the analysis comprising of Doctors, Nurses, Administrative staff, Record Officers, and Information Communication Technology (ICT0 Technicians of five Departments in La General Hospital. The Activity Theory was used as a theoretical foundation for the study ConclusionsThe study revealed that healthcare professionals uphold the moral standards relating to patient confidentiality and trust. Again, the findings of the study showed that medical records are safely stored through the use of Electronic Health Record system in the hospital in a manner that wouldn't compromise patient confidentiality. However, the results establishes that health care workers can potentially serve as a conduit for the leak or breach of patient information through negligence and unprofessional practices. Public interest statementThe study investigated systems and practices that are employed by health workers in Ghana to ensure that patient health records are safeguarded in order to build patients confidence in how their health records are protected. Health workers were interviewed in this study and the findings of the study show that there are practices and systems put in place to safeguard patient health records in the hospitals. Although, it was established that EHR systems help in safeguarding patient health records, the study recommends the need for users of the Health Electronic Records to be fully involved in the implementation process and strict enforcement of policies regarding the use of the EHR system to help prevent negligence and unprofessional application of the system.

A Novel Cloud-Enabled Cyber Threat Hunting Platform for Evaluating the Cyber Risks Associated with Smart Health Ecosystems

The fast proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has dramatically altered healthcare, increasing the efficiency and efficacy of smart health ecosystems. However, this expansion has created substantial security risks, as cybercriminals increasingly target IoT devices in order to exploit their weaknesses and relay critical health information. The rising threat landscape poses serious concerns across various domains within healthcare, where the protection of patient information and the integrity of medical devices are paramount. Smart health systems, while offering numerous benefits, are particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks due to the integration of IoT devices and the vast amounts of data they generate. Healthcare providers, although unable to control the actions of cyber adversaries, can take proactive steps to secure their systems by adopting robust cybersecurity measures, such as strong user authentication, regular system updates, and the implementation of advanced security technologies. This research introduces a groundbreaking approach to addressing the cybersecurity challenges in smart health ecosystems through the deployment of a novel cloud-enabled cyber threat-hunting platform. This platform leverages deception technology, which involves creating decoys, traps, and false information to divert cybercriminals away from legitimate health data and systems. By using this innovative approach, the platform assesses the cyber risks associated with smart health systems, offering actionable recommendations to healthcare stakeholders on how to minimize cyber risks and enhance the security posture of IoT-enabled healthcare solutions. Overall, this pioneering research represents a significant advancement in safeguarding the increasingly interconnected world of smart health ecosystems, providing a promising strategy for defending against the escalating cyber threats faced by the healthcare industry.

SOFTWARE DENTAL OFFICE: SEGURANÇA E ARMAZENAMENTO DE DADOS EM CLÍNICAS ODONTOLÓGICAS

Dental Office Software aims to organize and speed up the majority of services at the Dental Office, which is why it is important to use a system to control a company’s movements so that everything can be computerized, modern, better controlled and organized, making day-to-day life easier. day of the clinics. The objective of this work is to present the tools that the Dental Office application has for managing the Novos Ventos Dental Clinic at Faculdade Serra Dourada in Altamira-Pa, with an emphasis on the importance of digital security, protection of patient information, including compliance with the LGPD. 36 students from the dentistry course at Serra Dourada College who are between the 4th and 10th period participated in the research. The implementation of the same for the dental clinic will bring agility, security, greater storage capacity since the system was considered complete and suitable for the routine in the school clinic.

Is there still protected health information in openly available PowerPoint files?

IntroductionPowerPoint presentations containing radiographic images continue to be an important educational tool for healthcare professionals. When properly deidentified, these radiographic imaging files are valuable and do not pose any privacy concerns for patients. However, when these images are not properly managed, patient information can be uncovered; raising concerns about patient privacy and potential legal consequences for healthcare systems and academic institutions. This study revisited and expanded upon previous work published by Weadock et. al in an attempt to see how this issue has changed in the last 15 years. MethodsThis study consisted of 8 separate Google Web searches related to a medical imaging modality. Each PowerPoint file was manually inspected for imaging files including x rays, CT scans, MRI's, PET scans, CT and MR angiography and ultrasounds. If a PowerPoint contained an image file, it was then inspected for PHI. Full PHI included all of the following: patient's full name, medical registration number (MRN), date and a geographic indicator smaller than a state. ResultsThe first two Google searches “Magnetic Resonance Imaging filetype:ppt” and “Cardiac CT CAT Scan filetype:ppt” returned 146 search results with 7.6 % containing full PHI. “Radiology Chest X-ray filetype:ppt” resulted in accessible PHI in 40 % of the presentations with images and “Post-Operative CT Scan filetype:ppt” resulted in accessible PHI in 29 %. Magnetic Resonance Imaging filetype:pptx” returned 0 results with PHI. “Cardiac CT CAT scan filetype:pptx” returned 1 result with partial PHI.“Radiology Chest X-ray filetype:pptx” contained 4 results with partial PHI and 1 result with full PHI. “Post-Operative CT scan filetype:pptx” contained 2 presentations with partial PHI. DiscussionWhile a declining percentage of PowerPoint files containing PHI is reassuring, this follow up study demonstrated that PHI can still be easily accessed openly on the internet by anyone who has basic familiarity with Microsoft PowerPoint. Work remains to continue to educate users on how to properly protect patient information in PowerPoint files. Appropriately protecting private healthcare information is essential for patient safety and can prevent unintentional HIPAA violations. Radiologists are uniquely positioned to educate other healthcare providers on how to properly remove PHI from radiologic imaging files.

Keeping medical information safe and confidential: a qualitative study on perceptions of Israeli physicians

BackgroundPatients expect their information to remain confidential, and physicians have a legal and ethical obligation to keep it this way. Confidentiality is not just a legal requirement but a crucial element in establishing trust between patients and healthcare providers. Patients must feel confident that their personal and medical information is kept confidential and shared only with those who need to know. Previous studies have primarily concentrated on patients’ perceptions of medical confidentiality, data privacy, and data protection issues. However, research on the practical practices and perceptions of medical confidentiality among hospital physicians is scant, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of this critical issue.MethodsThrough qualitative methods and as part of a large-scale study on aspects of patient dignity and responsiveness in Israel, physicians shared their views and practices on managing medical information.ResultsThe study revealed the practical challenges physicians face in upholding various aspects of data protection within hospital settings. These challenges, strategies, and deviations from data protection principles that physicians discussed are of significant practical relevance. The importance of patient consent and the practical measures for safeguarding patient information were also highlighted. While physicians acknowledged the importance of protecting patient information, they also grappled with the realities of doing so in a complex healthcare environment. In future healthcare policies, it is critical to ensure robust measures are in place to safeguard and uphold medical confidentiality. These can include specific measures to increase compliance, such as regularly monitoring compliance with confidentiality policies, producing safe and anonymous channels to voice concerns, and enforcing consequences for any breaches to ensure accountability.ConclusionsWhile protecting medical information has emerged as an important goal, it is equally crucial to strike a balance between the need to share information to advance and provide quality medical care. Physicians and policymakers must navigate this delicate balance. Additionally, organizations should strengthen compliance to enhance their monitoring and enforcement of confidentiality policies. Ineffective implementation of medical confidentiality leads to theoretical guidelines that do not translate effectively into practice.

Enhancing the Security of Information Systems Using Iot Technology

A medical patient information system is one of the systems that are currently in widespread use, and one of these is the psychiatric patient information system, which is used in clinics that treat patients who suffer from mental illnesses. It entails keeping track of the patients who visit these clinics for treatment and ensuring that they receive the necessary medications at the appropriate dosages. Patient information such as text, images, or others must be retained in this sort of system, and the reports that the system generates regularly for pharmaceuticals that are dispensed in various clinics separate this type of system from others. This study presents an innovative security strategy for accessing a managed care information system, emphasizing the use of IoT technology to enhance password security and protect sensitive patient information. Utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT) technology has enhanced the efficiency of creating secure passwords. The results of the tests showed that the goal of protecting patient information from people who didn't want to see it was very secure. This was shown in the literature.

Safeguarding Patient Information as an Issue Faced by Nurses: A policy brief

In an era of advancing technology, nurses find themselves at the forefront of protecting patient information. Safeguarding patient information is a critical concern in healthcare settings due to the potential adverse effects that can result from breaches or mishandling of this data. This invasion of privacy can have profound emotional, social, and financial repercussions for patients. In this article, possible and effective approaches were provided under Evolving cybersecurity threats, balancing access and privacy, human error and insider threats, education and training, interoperability and data sharing headings. Patient information security is a complex and ever-evolving challenge for nursing professionals. Nurses must remain vigilant, well-informed, and proactive in implementing cybersecurity best practices.

Is Healthcare Facing A Silent Epidemic: The Rise Of Cyberattacks?

Undesirable consequences, such as the potential harm due to enhanced reliance on electronic platforms, should not be underestimated regardless of the healthcare industry's spectacular growth and the repeatedly applied digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare organizations, storing endless documents with very sensitive patient data, have their allure increased among cyber-crooks. The article underlines the fact that hackers find these deficiencies quite appealing, particularly when looking at the slow and unwilling pace of technology adoption and revamping of old systems. Stringent data protection regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are catalyzing, cyber-badey organizations into pursuing healthcare systems as their targets for cyber-crime. Healthcare organizations are weakened by the absence of standardized practices for cybersecurity, adoption issues for interoperability, and deficiency in staff training. The article puts the weight on prevention actions as network patching, employee training, and advanced cyber threat detection technologies are vital to protect patient information and provide the high-security standards that correspond the evolving and sophisticated threats. KEYWORDS: Electronic platforms, Healthcare industry, Data protection regulations, Cyber-crime, COVID-19 pandemic.

A practical guide to the development and deployment of deep learning models for the orthopaedic surgeon: Part III, focus on registry creation, diagnosis,and data privacy.

Deep learning is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) with enormous potential to transform orthopaedic surgery. As has already become evident with the deployment of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT (OpenAI Inc.), deep learning can rapidly enter clinical and surgical practices. As such, it is imperative that orthopaedic surgeons acquire a deeper understanding of the technical terminology, capabilitiesand limitations associated with deep learning models. The focus of this series thus far has been providing surgeons with an overview of the steps needed to implement a deep learning-based pipeline, emphasizing some of the important technical details for surgeons to understand as they encounter, evaluateor lead deep learning projects. However, this series would be remiss without providing practical examples of how deep learning models have begun to be deployed and highlighting the areas where the authors feel deep learning may have the most profound potential. While computer vision applications of deep learning were the focus of Parts I and II, due to the enormous impact that natural language processing (NLP) has had in recent months, NLP-based deep learning models are also discussed in this final part of the series. In this review, three applications that the authors believe can be impacted the most by deep learning but with which many surgeons may not be familiar are discussed: (1) registry construction, (2) diagnostic AIand (3) data privacy. Deep learning-based registry construction will be essential for the development of more impactful clinical applications, with diagnostic AI being one of those applications likely to augment clinical decision-making in the near future. As the applications of deep learning continue to grow, the protection of patient information will become increasingly essential; as such, applications of deep learning to enhance data privacy are likely to become more important than ever before. Level of Evidence: Level IV.

Software development to anonymize patient information from clinical computed tomography images

A free software for digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) image anonymization is needed to protect patient information from third parties. This study aimed to develop a software for the anonymization of patient information in computed tomography (CT) image. There was a total of 17 informations to be anonymized, such as Patient’s Name, Other Patient Names, Patient’s ID, Patient’s Birth Date, Patient’s Sex, Patient’s Age, Study ID, Study Description, Series Description, Institution Name, Institution Adress, Referring Phisician’s Name, Consulting Physician’s Name, Performing Physician’s Name, Name of Physician(s) Reading Study, Operator’s Name, and Protocol Name. In every information, its initial value was replaced with a dummy value with the string value of "N/A". For testing, patient CT images from four different hospitals with different scanners were collected. It is found that each scanner had different information stored in DICOM information. However, the anonymization process in the four hospitals works well with accuracy of 100%. The developed software can anonymize DICOM images flexibly and successfully. This software can be used for anonymization of patient information in order to protect patient information.

Enhancing Healthcare Data Entry Efficiency and Accuracy through Voice Assistant Systems: A Case Study of Obijackson Hospital Okija

Traditional data entry methods are often time-consuming and prone to errors, negatively impact patient care and administrative workflows. To address these challenges, this research proposed a voice-assisted data entry system that leverages advanced speech recognition and natural language processing technologies. Object Oriented Analysis and Design Methods were used to implement a system that allows healthcare providers to input patient data and medical information through voice commands, streamlining the data entry process and reducing the cognitive load on healthcare professionals. The system’s design incorporates user-centred principles, ensuring it is intuitive and seamlessly integrated into existing healthcare IT infrastructures. Key features include real-time speech-to-text conversion, contextual understanding of medical terminology, and robust data security measures to protect patient information. The implementation phase involved rigorous testing in a simulated healthcare environment, assessing the system’s accuracy, speed, and user satisfaction. Results indicated significant improvements in data entry efficiency and reduced error rates compared to manual entry methods. Feedback from healthcare professionals highlighted the system’s potential to enhance productivity and patient care quality. This dissertation contributes to the field of healthcare informatics by providing a practical solution to a critical problem, demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of voice-assisted technologies in medical data management. Future work will explore further refinements and the potential for broader adoption across diverse healthcare settings.

Optimizing Cloud-Based Clinical Platforms Best Practices for HIPAA and HITRUST Compliance

It is essential to ensure compliance with regulatory standards such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and HITRUST (Health Information Trust Alliance) in order to safeguard patient information and preserve trust. This is because cloud-based clinical platforms are becoming increasingly popular among healthcare organisations. The purpose of this paper is to give a complete review of best practices for optimising cloud-based healthcare platforms, with a particular emphasis on HIPAA and HITRUST compliance. The use of cloud technology provides a multitude of benefits, some of which include scalability, cost effectiveness, and enhanced accessibility. On the other hand, it also presents difficulties in terms of data security, privacy, and compliance with regulatory requirements. The implementation of strong solutions that are in accordance with the standards of HIPAA and HITRUST is necessary for healthcare organisations in order to solve these difficulties. In the first place, the study conducts an investigation of the key concepts of HIPAA and HITRUST, underlining the relevance of these principles in protecting patient information. At the same time as HIPAA is responsible for establishing national standards for the protection of sensitive patient data, HITRUST is responsible for providing a framework that is certifiable and incorporates several security and privacy criteria. In order to design a compliance plan, it is vital to have a better understanding of these frameworks.

Robust medical image watermarking in frequency domain

Protecting patient information in medical image watermarking poses a significant challenge, especially when traditional methods like the Arnold transform prove inadequate in ensuring security. This paper introduces a novel approach within the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) domain to address this issue effectively. By employing the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), the security and robustness of the system are greatly enhanced through the encryption of both the medical image and patient data. The encrypted medical image undergoes a 2-level DWT process, allowing the concealment of encrypted patient information while maintaining its invisibility. This proposed scheme surpasses others in experimental evaluations, as evidenced by metrics such as PSNR and NC, solidifying its position as a more secure choice for medical image watermarking. The results validate the scheme’s robustness and imperceptibility.

Safe and sound: Strengthening cybersecurity in healthcare through robust staff educational programs.

This article emphasizes the importance of comprehensive cybersecurity education programs in the healthcare industry. The rapid development of technology in healthcare has brought numerous advantages, including electronic health records and telehealth services. However, these advancements also expose the healthcare industry to significant cybersecurity risks. The healthcare industry is an attractive target for cybercriminals due to the presence of sensitive personal and financial information. Current regulations, such as HIPAA and PIPEDA, are in place to protect patient information, but 95% of healthcare industry breaches result from human error. Healthcare organizations must prioritize robust cybersecurity measures and implement comprehensive education programs for all healthcare professionals. This article recommends tailoring educational content to different healthcare roles and incorporating ongoing learning and awareness as essential elements of cybersecurity education. Overall, it calls for a holistic approach to cybersecurity education in healthcare to protect patient information and mitigate cyberthreats.

Facility Recommendations for Medical Aesthetic Procedures in Canada.

This article articulates core facility recommendations for regulated health care providers and professionals performing medical aesthetic procedures involving the use of topical and local anesthesia in a private clinic setting in Canada. The recommendations help ensure patient safety, confidentiality, and ethics. Information is provided about the setting/environment where medical aesthetic procedures are performed, safety equipment and emergency medications that should be on-site for medical aesthetic procedures, infection prevention and control measures, the way that medications and medical supplies should be stored, how to handle biomedical hazardous waste, and how to protect patient information.

533 Medical Photo Application–Delivering Expert Burn Care in the Intermountain West

Abstract Introduction As the only verified Burn Center in the Intermountain West, we are faced with the challenge of providing care and support to a referral area spanning five states. In an effort to make consulting with our Burn Center more efficient and direct, we provide TeleHealth services. We typically provide real-time facility-to-facility consultation, facility-to-patient consultation, phone consultation, and photo consultation. Prior to development of our medical photo application (MedPic app), photo consults were completed via encrypted email. The consult process was inefficient resulting in multiple phone calls for one consult. As a result, we received requests to improve the process, making it more user friendly and HIPPA compliant. Initially, our Burn Center created a photo consultation website that enabled referring providers to go to a webpage and upload photos. The consult began with a phone call from the referring provider. The Burn Center staff would inform the referring provider of the photo website and the referring provider would upload the photos. This improved the photo consult process, however it was still inefficient. Based on these requests from our referring providers, staff, and patients, we developed the MedPic app. With the new MedPic app, we provide an easy to access and efficient process to consult with our Burn center; thus improving efficiency, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions, and associated medical transport costs. Methods The photo app was created and made available in March of 2020. The app streamlined the consult process by creating a direct link from referring providers to Burn providers. Burn providers receive images as soon as they are uploaded through the app. The MedPic app is a photo consultation tool and requires three steps: 1. Take photos of the wounds; 2. Enter patient information; and 3. Enter a return call back number. A plan of care is communicated back to the referring provider within 30 minutes. Photos taken within the app are not saved to any device. The images are encrypted to protect patient information making the app HIPPA compliant. We collected encounter data generated by photo consultation to our burn center prior to and after the MedPic app development (January 2016- September 2022). Results Since the MedPic app was released in March of 2020 we have noted 2,071 app downloads and have seen a steady increase in photo consultations. Figure 1 shows the total number of photo consultations to our Burn Center from January 2016 through September 2022. Conclusions Our Burn Center created the MedPic app resulting in over 2,000 downloads. The app is integrated into our Burn Center Telehealth consultation workflow. By providing a direct approach to acute burn injury consultations, we are able to efficiently assess patient wounds and ensure the patient receives the level of care they need in a timely manner. Applicability of Research to Practice This directly impacts triage and management of outpatient acute burn injuries.