Medical indemnity insurer MDA National has introduced a cyber-risk program to support medical practices and doctors, with complimentary cyber cover for policyholders.

National President Rod Moore says cyber risk is a serious issue for Australian medical practices, exacerbated by the adoption of electronic health records and billing systems, and new mandatory privacy breach obligations.

“The unintended disclosure or destruction of confidential information, patient contact details and identifiers is a very real threat… which can result in privacy breaches as well as financial loss, business disruption and reputational damage,” Dr Moore said.

MDA National is curating a series of cyber-risk case studies, articles and blogs from global experts, and providing mitigation education for medical practices and doctors.

It has also purchased a group cyber-risk insurance policy through JLT, underwritten by Chubb, for MDA National practice policyholders.