Preserving cybersecurity is a universal concern, which is often overlooked until an event puts lives and vital information at risk. It us up to payers and business leaders to diligently remain informed, and educate hospitals, provider, and health systems over many channels in order to preserve cybersecurity.

Forbes Technology Council offers the following strategies to for healthcare organizations to improve cybersecurity measures:

1. Acknowledge The Threat Is Real
2. Revisit And Update Protocols
3. Train And Regularly Update Staff On The Risks And Responsibilities
4. Obtain A Third-Party Audit
5. Verify Software Has Comprehensive Built-In Security

To better inform strategies, and to have a broader perspective of the damage cybersecurity threats presents healthcare organizations, Healthcare IT News presents a rewind of cyber events and challenges from 2017.

Preserving Cybersecurity Against Attacks
With a Multi-dimensional Approach

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society released their December report which indicates that a multi-dimensional approach to how we understand cyber risks, like the strategies listed by Forbes, should be the goal of organizations moving forward.

While the healthcare sector has been in the news in regard to cyberattacks and reported breaches, some analysts have found that the healthcare sector is not the worst in terms of sheer numbers of breaches (Vol. 18, item no. 2 in Reports and Tools). We all find challenges in cybersecurity – regardless of one’s sector or industry. Indeed, insecure websites (of all types) are still a problem (Vol. 18, item no. 4 in Reports and Tools). We also noted the fragility and susceptibility to attack of undersea cables, which, as reported, support 97 percent of global communications (Vol. 18, item no. 5 in Reports and Tools.)

Many providers focus on incident detection, but not necessarily incident response and recovery. Fewer still take into account our supply chain dependencies and the security of our supply chain. Perhaps we need more of a multi-dimensional approach to how we understand and address cyber risks. Cybersecurity and healthcare both touch virtually everything—these are things that we cannot afford to ignore. The clock is ticking.

Editor’s Note: Healthcare organizations are diligently preserving cybersecurity, but it is all too easy for hospitals and health systems to become lax in their follow through. Educated business leaders can learn from the past to educate, for the future. Click HERE for how BHM develops high level protection for your data, addresses the c-suite cyber-security concerns, and proves it with HITRUST CSF.