Perry Ah created blog posts as an intern for Spectracom Group, which distributes healthcare IT. One post discusses how modernizing healthcare through technology can improve patient care by creating efficiencies. It highlights Spectracom's Spectralink PIVOT S phone and how its secure messaging features could reduce wait times. Another post covers tactics for better data security, such as controlling access, encrypting sensitive data, and using devices like the PIVOT S that are designed for healthcare security and compliance. A third post discusses the high costs hospitals have faced in lawsuits and settlements from data breaches caused by unsecured devices and lack of employee training.

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Writing Portfolio
Perry Ah
Perry.ah88@gmail.com
706-254-0279
Within this portfolio are some works that I completed for Spectracom Group
while I was an intern managing the blog for the company. The company primarily
deals with the distribution of healthcare IT, and I posted blog posts accordingly. I’ve
been working as an intern at Spectracom Group since August 2015 and was the
leader for the blog. I graduated from Georgia State University and I honed my
writing muscles to really adapt to any writing situation. The creative writing
program sharpened my skills to be a better writer and to produce quality work.
I learned a lot about writing with Spectracom since the purpose of the
content is to sell a product or an idea. Topics can vary from data security to product
descriptions, so I’ve had experience with quite a few different topics. It’s a lot of
objective writing blended with subjective topics, so it’s always a new challenge with
every post that I start.

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Blog Post 3: Why Modernize In Healthcare?
In today’s world, modernization is the key to staying relevant and in control
of whatever task is at hand. One of the most important industries to stay relevant in
is the healthcare industry. Staying up to speed is the most important aspect with the
healthcare industry with patients at the top of the priority list. Everything should be
aimed to help them have the least amount of struggle as possible.
In a recent article from FierceHealthcare, the topic of interest is centered
around four key ways to create efficiency with patient care as the priority.
Governance/strategy, culture/performance, infrastructure/operating model, and
innovation/improvement. Amongst these topics on interest, there is a common
quality that they all share. Technology is the grand idea that is capable to bring
these all together. Spectracom’s products are perfectly fitted for creating an easier
and more efficient stream of communication between healthcare workers and
patients.
Changes and improvements can be made even with just one product that the
staff can use easily. The Spectralink PIVOT S is a handheld phone that is capable of
secure messaging. Its features are vastly superior to any standard phone and it
shows when it is used to its full potential. The most important feature is the secure
messaging, which is critical when it comes to patient care. Security should always be
the priority, and along with that should be efficiency. Patient care is a careful matter
since lives are at stake so being able to notify other staff members with direct calls

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and messages are crucial. If a hospital were to integrate this system for the staff,
wait time and feedback for the patients would be much shorter.
Governance and strategy is applicable to product like the PIVOT S since it
creates a viable solution to create a more efficient procedure. It takes a good
strategy in any workplace to get things done and to create a good employee
relationship. The lack of a key strategy is something that is capable of crippling any
type of fluidity in the workplace. This then leads to patient care becoming sub par
and unacceptable. It has the potential to decrease wait time for patients and allow
nurses and doctors to get tasks done quicker.
Along the same vein as governance is performance management. There is
nothing better in the modern day to help management than a handheld device to
link everyone together. It all comes down to how the systems are run in the hospital
to increase performance and see a difference in workflow. The PIVOT S is capable of
a range of features, which allow it to be quick, and user friendly. Calls to other
workers can be made or even to host group conference calls, and along with that is
the capability to schedule. This would be most useful in creating an organized
system for arranging patient meetings.
The third topic is the infrastructure and operating model that the PIVOT S
could establish. A second rate infrastructure that a hospital run poorly on can be
quickly upgraded with the integration of mobile devices. The most basic and
important idea amongst these topics is that patient well being is a top priority. It is a
shame that most healthcare systems are second rate in being able to respond to
patients in a timely manner. Having a standard model for every hospital would be

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the end goal, but it takes time and exploration to really adapt to new systems. It
would be a quick transition with a small learning curve, but it has the potential to
save vast amounts of time.
Finally is the aspect of innovation and improvement. There is always a time
for innovation where quality can be improved to create an easier system for what’s
being worked on. If communication is the focus than it is possible to integrate
something like the PIVOT S to most facilities and create a strong work environment.
I can speak from experience when I say that a good number of healthcare facilities
could really use improvement. There is just so much that can be done to make it
better yet the situation only gets worse. No one should have to wait in multiple
waiting rooms for 6 hours to get cared for. Problems like this occur because of the
lack of communication between doctors and nurses. Nothing is direct and many
times the message is forgotten about. Efficiency is the top priority to make a
difference that matters in these types of situations.
The change is possible and surprisingly easy to make. Full integration isn’t a
pipedream, but something that can be fully realized with enough attention. Patients
are the number one spot on the list for service and it is a problem that needs to be
fixed. Spectralink’s PIVOT S is the very tool that can make a difference in their lives.

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Spectracom: March Blog Post One
5 Tactics to Better Security
When it comes to something like the healthcare industry, security and
privacy are of the utmost importance. This cannot be stressed enough with all of the
sensitive material that hospitals and medical facilities possess at any given time.
Patients entrust important personal information that the facility must keep safe.
Looking back at 2015, data security was pretty much a failure. There can only be a
few viable reasons as to why breaches were so common last year. The fundamental
principles of security were just not high enough, whether it was the hardware,
software, or workers. To keep such disasters from ever happening again, reinforcing
security measures with new tech and new rules is definitely the route that should be
followed. It's pretty much required these days as society moves further and further
into this digital age that we live in. With the convenience of technology creating a
more efficient and fluid workspace, it will always come with some drawbacks. There
are always cons to any pro. Having everything so interconnected leads to potential
threats having quicker and easier options as well. Security measures must be
private and layered to ensure maximum safety of data.
Since having HIPAA passed back in 1996, this system has benefitted while
still encountering breaches. “Data breaches in 2015 resulted in a massive 113
million leaked records nationwide, up from 12 million in 2014.” Reports Healthcare
Intelligence Network. The size of that breach spike is almost unfathomable with
roughly a third of the nation’s security breached. Having braches rise 10 times more

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frequently over the course of a year in unacceptable and hardly an accident, so it’s
time to narrow it down to the causes.
There are a handful of surefire ways to keep breaches from happening, and
here are five solutions that should aid healthcare organizations in creating a better
defense.
Controlling access may sound like a no brainer, but it’s easy to ignore when
technology is growing exponentially and new connections are made very day.
Things like data sharing are so simple that pretty much anyone can do it. It’s nice for
people who are new or don’t have much experience with the technological side of
things. This is a drawback at the same time as well since all of these channels are
open and unprotected. Having so many connections demands a lot of work to get
them secure so that not just anyone can waltz in. It’s best to keep connections down
to the main ones and not easily accessible to anyone without the proper credentials.
The more connections there are, the higher chance there is for hackers to get
through.
Encrypt everything that is sensitive and private material like patient
information. Hackers are one of the biggest threats to the healthcare industry and all
it takes to deter them from breaking in is some good encryption of files and info that
you don’t in the wrong hands. Ensuring that the info is protected with data loss
prevention solutions could be the deciding factor of stolen information or not.
Personal Device Security is another big topic in a world where everything
just becomes more high tech as each day passes. Most everyone these days has
access to his or her own personal smartphone, and it carries over heavily into the

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healthcare industry. Mobile devices are an essential means of communication, so it
only makes sense that doctors and nurses would use them too. Think about the
amount of information that a worker in the healthcare field would encounter in any
given day. It’s safe to say that they deal with a lot from patient info, transactions, and
procedures that shouldn’t always be made public for everyone to see. The use of
personal devices in the workplace can easily aid the efficiency of work as long as it is
done correctly and securely. Complying with HIPAA guidelines should be one of the
first things done. If personal devices aren’t allowed and mobile messaging is desired,
there are some good alternatives like the Spectralink PIVOT S mobile device that is
specifically manufactured for healthcare workers. Unlike regular mobile devices, a
device such as this comes with data security features in mind from secure
messaging to data wipes that can be customized.
Breach identification should be something that is relatively fast and
efficient in the even that there is a breach in security. IT should be well experienced
in managing security walls and software to ensure that all connections are locked
and require encryption keys to access them. In the case that there is a breach and
information is stolen, the response should be quick to lock hackers out before too
much is taken.
Identity authentication is probably one of the most important factors to
keeping security tight and closed. Having the right system of keeping up with a
database of names is a way that facilities can keep watch over a lot at once. Giving
the right people the right credentials allows for a smaller amount of people dealing
with information that is sensitive. The less people that know about it make it better

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for everyone. The recent incident with the teen that posed as a doctor at a practicing
clinic is a perfect example of carelessness and what not to do. Having allowed
something of this gravity and nature just goes to show why there were 113 million
breaches last year.
The American health system is flawed in its attempt to keep security at its
highest regard with so many breaches last year. There should be a reform to enact a
change for all facilities to standardize security for the sake of the patients and their
families. It is a job for hospitals to ensure that their patients are taken care of in
every sense. Personal information is definitely one of those. There are plenty of
solutions that can be put in motion to reform security, and they are a must in a time
like this where technology is only getting bigger and faster.

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Spectracom: March Blog Post Three
The Price to Pay for Poor Security
We’ve mentioned a lot of the logistics and methods when it comes to data
security, and made it known that it’s important. This is not only for the patient’s
sake, but also for the actual facility itself. Imagine a well-known hospital that suffers
a breach and has to compensate for the mistake that it made. The repercussions for
something like a breach of security can cost healthcare facilities millions of dollars a
case. Having to settle a case and losing that much money puts a real big damper on
things. On top of that, the reputation of that facility is sure to go down with the
public learning about something like that. Just recently there were some lawsuits
that finally settled that dealt with security breaches, which jeopardized tens of
thousands of patient info.
One of these breaches occurred at a health system in Minnesota because they
overlooked to important rules of the HIPAA agreement. Their price to pay is a $1.55
million settlement just because they did not comply with the risk analysis. As
discussed in ANOTHER POST (Add title and hyperlink), the breach occurred with a
stolen laptop that was left in a car. This laptop was unencrypted and housed
electronic private health information for roughly 10,000 patients. It’s really just an
act of carelessness that can quickly and easily leads to an enormous problem like
this. This is also only the beginning of the long and difficult road that follows with a
mess up like this. Health systems need to be upfront, and North Memorial
Healthcare System of Minnesota attempted to dodge a risk analysis to cover up
other poorly executed systems that they were running. Obviously this didn’t cut it

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and they lost the lawsuit and got some extra punishments along with paying the
settlement fee. North Memorial was required to enact a risk analysis and risk
management plan to educate all employees to ensure that something like this
wouldn’t happen again. As discussed in a previous blog post, a well-trained staff is
the first step to any kind of security. If the tech and hardware is solid and up to date,
the problem lies with the people that are managing and running the hardware.
Human error is too common and should be tended to with comprehensive training.
The last condition that was to be met were HIPAA audits at the hospital to make
sure that systems were regulation.
A similar breach to this one was another that happened overnight when
laptop was stolen from an unlocked room. The laptop contained private information
from 600 patients, and this mishap resulted in the loss of $850,000 from the
healthcare system. The Burlington, Massachusetts based hospital was later
investigated for reasons similar to the case in Minnesota. Yet again, the error comes
from the staff overlooking the smallest and easiest things to take care of. Locking a
door is all it took for this laptop to be kept safe, and they paid a large sum of money
instead. It’s a simple fix that saves a lot of trouble.
One of the larger settlements came to $7.5 million when a St. Joseph’s in
California failed to protect against a breach that took information from 31,000
patients and made them public online. Take a look at the court document here. This
became known when a patient of the hospital stumbled upon her own information
on the Internet along with many others. In an attempt to control the situation, the
hospital sent out informed all patients that there was a breach and that their

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information was made public. That had to be a big stab at the hospital having to
send out messages like that. It’s no doubt that the patients lost a lot faith with that
hospital. The thing is that this breach wasn’t a localized one, so it affected a handful
of other hospitals in the area. The upside is that all of these other hospitals didn’t
have to pay for the mistake of one. Their information was probably linked or shared
with the St. Josephs, and it was all on them to make sure that it the info was safe. It
ended up with the hospital paying all of the patients that were affected a sum of
$242 each. This applied to any patient that was treated at the hospital from Feb. 1st,
2011 to Feb. 28th, 2012.
The stakes are too high and costly for small and careless slip ups in an
industry like healthcare. Privacy is one of the biggest concerns and should be in high
regard. As discussed in this post, it’s not always about the security hardware and
software that could lead to possible leaks, but the people. Untrained or careless staff
members are the ultimate roots of the problem. Even with the best security system
around, it means nothing if it can’t be run properly and to regulation. It’s
unprofessional for these careless staff members to gloss over the importance of
patient information and what it can lead to if not taken care of. These are only a few
of the many that exist, so that means there is a long way to go in order to fix it. Rules
ad regulations exist for a reason, and none should be taken lightly in such an
important part of a public infrastructure.

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Spectracom: April Blog Post One
The Cloud and Communication
If you went around to different healthcare facilities and asked what the most
important part of the jobs was, the answer would most likely be communication.
Communication is the foundation and backbone that creates the infrastructure of an
efficient workplace, and when dealing with healthcare it should be spot on. It’s a
broad category that touches a lot of ground. So to achieve a better level of
communication, all aspects must be taken into account. From hardware to software,
communication is what makes things work, better or for worse. The idea is to
improve, and Spectracom is in the market to do just that. It’s a main solution that
Spectracom holds in high regard, so the products all reflect that. From the
Spectralink PIVOT S mobile device for secure and efficient messaging in the
workplace to Cloud systems for simple and efficient storage of data. Everything is
taken into account and looked at. With the best option in tools for communication,
the process doesn’t just end with new gadget. Practice and repetition are what
makes the system solid enough to fight any gaps or breaches in a system when
things go wrong. Always expect the worst in order to give the best.
When looking at communication from a hardware point of view, there isn’t a
better time to get involved. The growth of technology is at an all time high, and it’s
beneficial to stay in that loop. Sure, you can always attempt at doing things the old
fashion way, but it’s less reliable. It’s not the best gamble to make when the priority
is so high. As said before in previous blog posts, secure mobile devices are one of the
most popular tactics to solve communication problems. There is a good assurance

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and reliability with devices that come with the security software pre installed. It
creates a better way to communicate to other nurses or doctors without
compromising any information. There are instances where workers will use their
personal devices for communication and it has none of the features that a secure
mobile device offers. There is too much risk and the communication between co-
workers becomes a liability. This doesn’t stop with just phones. Other electronic
devices used for communication should be regulated with the correct rules and
methods of operations. Utilizing a personal laptop would be a liability. Read this
blog post to get more information about security and consequences. Having the
right hardware is pretty much the basis for any kind communication in order to get
somewhere. Software can come after that once the hardware is established.
Communication and hardware is one thing, but software is a whole new
realm. Things like email and the cloud are some software possibilities in terms of
communicating. It’s simple and quick but does have some drawbacks. Software is
corruptible and prone to hacking breaches, so it’s best to make sure that security is
tight for this. It makes certain processes vastly easier as some costs, but it is
important in the time that we live in now. The cloud is becoming a standard, so it’s
smart to keep up with what going on in order to be on top of things.
It’s really just how the world works. We all live in a digital age that’s leaving
old habits behind for new ones and having applications like the cloud bring us closer
together for better options.