The study found that about one-third of respondents (35%) are worried their information will end up plastered on the Internet, while 22% say they are concerned the information may be used by criminals to hijack their identity. The study, conducted by CDW Healthcare, surveyed 1,000 Americans across the country that have visited a doctor’s office and healthcare facility within the last year and a half.

Despite these concerns, survey respondents expressed a strong trust in their physicians. However, they also hold healthcare organizations responsible for protecting the data. Eighty-six percent of respondents said that healthcare organizations are responsible for protecting the financial information provided to them, while 93% expect them to safeguard their personally identifiable information. Meanwhile, 94% said they hold healthcare organizations responsible for protecting information provided about a patient’s family.

“The new era of EHR brings with it a whole new set of requirements for healthcare organizations – particularly in the area of IT security,” said Bob Rossi, vice president of CDW Healthcare.  “Digital files are not inherently less secure than paper files, but they do require a completely different set of technologies, processes and internal policies for protection.”

With these new challenges, many physicians and medical professionals are not yet equipped to tackle new threats. According to CDW, 30% of physician practices report that they lack basic anti-virus software. Meanwhile, 34% report that they do not use network firewalls. Both elements are considered basic steps in developing a minimum IT security profile.