Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices: Managing Threats and Protecting Patients

Cybersecurity threats to healthcare organizations and patient safety are real. Health IT provides critical life-saving functions. It consists of connected, networked systems and leverages wireless technologies, leaving such systems more vulnerable to cyber-attack.

Recent highly publicized ransomware attacks on hospitals, for example, necessitated diverting patients to other hospitals. This led to an inability to access patient records to continue care delivery. Such cyber-attacks can delay critical care, expose sensitive patient information, and lead to substantial financial costs to regain control of hospital systems and patient data