In the previous post we described the current landscape for healthcare information technology. In this post, we note how healthcare information systems increasingly face daunting security challenges due to five economic and technological trends. First, the locus of care is shifting, as the healthcare system seeks more efficient and less-expensive ways to care for patients, particularly outpatients with chronic conditions. Second, strong economic incentives are pushing health providers to innovate by rewarding providers for keeping their patient population healthy, rather than paying only to fix patients when they are ill. Third, the treatment of chronic conditions and the implementation of prevention plans entail more continuous patient monitoring, outside of the clinical setting. Fourth, mobile consumer devices (smartphones and tablets) are quickly being adopted for health & wellness applications, both by caregivers and patients, in addition to their many other uses – making it difficult to protect sensitive health-related data and functions from the risks posed by a general-purpose Internet device. Finally, significant emerging threats are targeting healthcare information systems, while new regulations strive to protect medical integrity and patient privacy.