The Importance of Cybersecurity in Protecting Patient Safety | Healthcare IT Today

When we talk about cybersecurity, we often like to talk about the financial elements of a breach.  No doubt the financial impact is extremely important and can cost an organization dearly if they’re not prepared.  You also often hear about the reputation impact a breach has on an organization when the breach hits the local news and their organization lives in infamy on the HHS wall of shame.  What we hear less talk about is the impact on patient safety when a breach occurs.

This was the topic of discussion with cybersecurity experts, Ryan Witt, Industries Solutions and Strategy Leader at Proofpoint, and Mike Gregory, Healthcare Chief Information Security Officer at CDW, when we sat down at the HIMSS 2022 annual conference.  After hearing what Witt and Gregory were hearing about security at the conference, they shared some examples of where cybersecurity is impacting patient safety.

Needless to say, patient safety can be a major problem when health IT and medical devices are compromised.  We’ve all become so reliant on these systems and devices to care for patients that patient safety becomes a serious concern when those devices become non-functional or health IT systems like the EHR are no longer accessible.  It was amazing to see how even a ransomware incident that takes down your scheduling and time tracking system could have an impact on patient care.

To learn more about how the risk to patient safety has evolved over time and some key efforts you can do to reduce the risk that a cybersecurity incident will impact patient safety, check out our interview with Ryan Witt from Proofpoint and Mike Gregory from CDW.

Learn more about Proofpoint: https://www.proofpoint.com/

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