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Perspectives

| less than a minute read

Healthcare Entities Need to Be Proactive Against Cyberattacks

Healthcare was targeted more than any other industry in 2023 – a total of 249 healthcare entities were victim to ransomware attacks. As my colleague, @Michael McLaughlin (a cyber incident expert), recently explained, the amount of dollars lost, reputational harm, and impact on healthcare delivery are immense. Those attacking these entities have a playbook and their is a playbook to respond, protect, and inform. While it is always difficult to allocate funding for these purposes when healthcare entities are stretching every dollar to deliver quality care, it is imperative to protect patients, workers, and the continuity of healthcare services.

Health care weathered more ransomware attacks last year than any other sector, and that was before a debilitating February hack of payments manager Change Healthcare. Executives, lawyers, and policymakers are worried the federal government’s response is underpowered, underfunded, and too focused on hospital security. (KFF Health News, Darius Tahir, 9/19)