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How 10 Healthcare Security Experts View The Future Of Data Analytics

This article is more than 8 years old.

Every time I see the hospital chase scene in the movie Terminator 2, where the T-800 robot (Arnold Schwarzenegger) shoots his way out of the hospital, I can’t help but wonder where all of the security guards are hiding. This shortcoming didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the film, but encapsulates the general feeling most of us have when faced with dangerous situations within a supposedly safe environment (like a hospital).

When it comes down to it, you want the security of hospital security, you just don’t want to see it.

According to the American Hospital Association, there are 5,724 hospitals in the United States. Of these hospitals, 2,903 hospitals are not for profit and 1,025 are for-profit. Furthermore, 1,045 are owned by state or local (county, hospital district) government entities. That’s a lot of hospitals to protect in an era where overall violence is falling, but violence in hospitals is increasing.

So what is the industry doing about it? Judging by the responses of some of the most influential in hospital security, it appears the industry is looking to current and future social and analytics technologies to terminate most of the violence.

Here’s what they told me:

#1 Bonnie Michelman, Director of Police, Security and Outside Services at Mass General Hospital

“Video analytics are still being technically improved and not used in many hospitals yet. But I believe the trend to combine video and analytics to identify high risk situations will get stronger quickly.  Video analytics can be used for counts if an area is getting too crowded or agitation is occurring.  It can be used to identify suspicious packages left in areas, it can be used to identify abnormal traffic flow and it can be used to identify suspicious people or those loitering in secure areas.”

According to Michelman, video analytics will help identify problems early on so that security and staff can better mitigate the issue before it gets out of hand.

#2 Bill Nesbitt, President, Security Management Services International, Inc.

“Obviously the crime/threat environment must be taken into consideration. Sources include the hospital’s incident history, police data and CrimeCast data from organizations such as the CAP Index,” Nesbitt told me.

Then, Nesbitt says that security professionals are turning to, “Social media such as LinkedIn forums for an exchange of ideas among security professionals. We have established a Group on LinkedIn entitles Security Source Online. Since the establishment of this discussion Group, we have grown to more than 11,500 international members.

Nesbitt’s group allows the exchanging of ideas, to make patients, staff and security guards safer.

#3 Thomas A. Smith, Hospital Security Consultant

Smith’s take is that hospital administrators need to be more proactive and reduce the potential for violence before it happens.

“There’s still a general lack of understanding and support of security and safety by some (not all) hospital leaders! There is immense pressure to contain costs within our healthcare systems. This pressure is felt most by non-revenue producing departments such as security.

As a result, some administrators do not want to hear about the need for increased security related expenses in non-patient care areas.  Example: I recently had a COO of a major healthcare system ask me, “Tom, why do we need any more security than the local cinema or grocery store chain.” It was said with a straight face. I did my best to educate him and him and told the COO of the above listed reasons why health care facilities have more risk, higher incidents of violence etc… but I was not sure it sunk in to any serious degree.

As most of you already know, COOs focus time, energy, attention and organizational resources on things that: 1) offer the potential for gain and 2) are causing them pain. It’s the allocation of scarce resources issue, and it’s a key responsibility of COOs. Security doesn’t provide an opportunity for gain, so a COO will only focus on security when it’s causing them pain. When things get bad enough, they’ll provide the necessary resources. In this case, it was probably because I was not doing a good enough job clearly informing him of the risks and evolving standard of care.”

#4 Lisa Pryse Terry, Director of Hospital Police and Transportation at UNC Health Care

“I believe that social analytics are making headway within the healthcare industry. We are following the lead of the university environment and utilizing social media to notify staff and the public of various situations. There are certain criteria within the healthcare environment which must be considered and weighed before information can be shared to include PHI, and other regulatory requirements.”

Sounds to me like the future of hospital security will include social media and predictive analytical war rooms.

#5 Tony York, Chief Operating Officer, HSS Inc

“No single characteristic or seemingly innocent experience can accurately predict violence. But as concerning as violence statistics are for the healthcare industry, under-reporting is a chronic problem.  A persistent perception within the healthcare industry is that assaults are part of the job.

Many U.S. hospitals have various reporting sources (Security, Risk Management and Employee Health Departments) and multiple avenues for reporting events but often lack coordination between the reporting sources. Security is typically most focused on the event while Employee Health is focused on the employee. If the two databases are not coordinated, a large gap in the data can occur. Many individual health systems and healthcare-related associations are tracking the who and the when of violent acts within healthcare but rarely share this in a centralized repository from which the healthcare industry as a whole can learn.

#6 Ty Richmond, President, Security Systems & Technology and National Accounts at Universal Services of America

“One thing that we are seeing that the hospital industry has really started to embrace is a complete system integration strategy. In the healthcare market, for example, there is a big demand for middleware type solutions that enable the integration of a traditional security system. But there is an access control video intrusion and detection capability with patient care, nurse call stations, etc., so that you’re creating one comprehensive solution that leverages the flow, and the inputs and outputs of all the technology together. The complete systems integration approach allows for information flow in more of a comprehensive, more impactful approach across the whole business.

In regards to video, while still early, there is no doubt that the healthcare industry is leading and/or at the leader level when it comes to the utilization of IP video, video intelligence and how that’s used and applied from a remote video monitoring standpoint. There are new strategies and tactics that are being deployed to both proactively address incidents and issues from trends, including applying analytics from the video to a risk situation.

From a total cost of ownership standpoint, video is being used to help offset cost and make the labor that is being used much more intelligent and informed. For example, smartphone devices can now utilize the video in a real-time scenario to leverage the resource base, get economies of scale and be a force factor that you didn’t have before because of the lack of data speed and transmission.”

#7 Drew Neckar, Security Management Executive & Consultant

“The majority of healthcare security organizations have not implemented protective intelligence programs to the same extent as been done in some other sectors. This is primarily based on the extreme difference in the threats faced by healthcare organizations.

In healthcare the vast majority of violence is perpetrated by our customers, because of this, identifying outside threats becomes much less important than teaching front line staff to recognize signs of incipient violence and ensuring that they have the tools to defuse these situations before they reach a boiling point.”

#8 Rick Ward, National Director, Healthcare Security Services at Universal Protection Service

“Healthcare is experiencing a renaissance in physical security with the integration of technology. Such tools include handheld devices with mobile reporting capabilities and duty reminders. Equipped with GPS functions, the devices can track officer patrols and link to analytical cameras that alert officers in real time to programmed events. They can even grant remote access by locking and unlocking doors or opening gates.

Not many thought we’d have these features a few years ago. However, today you can get so much functionality using one device, around the clock, for less monthly than the cost of a day’s worth of security labor. It is truly amazing!”

#9 Scott Jenkins, Security Management Group International, Inc.

“This is not yet a widespread practice, though slowly but surely social analytics or security analytics are finding their way and usefulness in the healthcare setting.  For decades risk/threat/vulnerability (RTV) assessments took on many different flavors, depending on the consultant or consultants conducting the RTVs.

The drawback with all of this, of course, is continuity and consistency of the data gathered and subsequent usefulness to the organization. Through the standardization of analytics and cohesiveness in data gathering healthcare organizations, much like government or large corporate, multinational enterprises, will reap the rewards since a standardized analytical process will provide a broad spectrum risk/threat/vulnerability view of the organization as a whole enabling them to make sound, data-driven decision on investment dollars to mitigate the most critical vulnerabilities as opposed to perceived ones.” 

#10 Tim Portale, AVP at Hospital Corporation of America

“Social analytics = Measuring + Analyzing + Interpreting interactions and associations between people, topics and ideas.

I believe healthcare must engage social analytics to leverage data to predictively analyze the likelihood of physical threats occurring in hospitals. Analytics can identify risks based on patient acuity, location, service line, training and staffing.

Let me give you an example: The likelihood of a physical threat occurring in the emergency department (ED) may be analyzed based on data such as community crime, ED volume, percent ED volume comprised of behavior health patients served, patient acuity levels, de-escalation training of clinicians and level of security staffing.”

Portale believes we can predict future situations by analyzing the current situational metrics.