Prisma Health uses ExtraHop to protect patient data while delivering better care and outcomes

ExtraHop, the leader in cloud-native network detection and response (NDR) for the hybrid enterprise, announced not-for-profit health organization Prisma Health uses ExtraHop to protect sensitive patient data while ensuring better patient outcomes and experience through improved application performance.

Prisma Health employs nearly 16,000 caregivers and staff who provide high-quality, affordable healthcare to 1.2 million residents throughout upstate South Carolina, spanning seven medical campuses and numerous outpatient and specialty facilities.

As the organization started to embrace digital operations, incidents and alerts were managed by different teams using different tools, often leading to service interruptions. In healthcare, network performance issues can have a dramatic and nearly immediate effect on clinical care and patient experience.

“Today, healthcare organizations aren’t just measured on patient outcomes—they’re also rated on patient experience,” said Mike Shuford, a systems engineer at Prisma Health.

“The ability to easily access a record, or to have a doctor rapidly send a prescription to your pharmacy before your appointment is over—those things matter. Every service disruption meant a hit to patient experience.”

Comprehensive, real-time visibility into Prisma Health’s complex IT environment is vital to ensure reliable performance of applications, such as the electronic medical record (EMR) system that provides caregivers with on-demand access to patient records and allows patients to access their own health information, schedule appointments, and communicate with their caregivers through a secure web portal.

ExtraHop real-time analytics and advanced machine learning deliver proactive, trend-based alerts about performance degradations, while automated investigation capabilities help Prisma Health rapidly identify the root cause before it affects clinical operations or patient experience.

With ExtraHop, Prisma Health also has full visibility into all encrypted traffic without compromising data security or running afoul of HIPAA regulations.

According to Shuford, another key advantage of ExtraHop is its ease of use. “You don’t need an advanced degree or to undergo extensive training to use ExtraHop. We were able to get the platform up and running quickly—and we saw immediate value.”