As part of recent efforts to strengthen cybersecurity resilience across critical sectors nationwide, the White House this week announced a new initiative to mobilize the private sector to help Support small and rural hospitals, which are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
The Biden administration, working alongside the American Hospital Association and the National Rural Health Association, said it has tapped Google and Microsoft to provide free and low-cost tools and services to hospitals Rural first aid and independent critical access.
“Cyberattacks against the U.S. healthcare system increased 130% in 2023,” Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies Anne Neuberger said in a statement. forcing hospitals to cancel procedures and affecting Americans’ access to critical care.” “Rural hospitals are hit especially hard because they are often the sole source of care for the communities they serve and lack trained cyber staff and modern cyber defenses. ”
For its part, Google said it will provide free consultation on endpoint security to these hospitals and will also provide funding for software migration. Additionally, the company plans to launch a pilot program to package cybersecurity technologies to meet the unique needs of small and rural facilities.
Meanwhile, Microsoft’s new Cybersecurity Program for Rural Hospitals aims to provide grants and discounts of up to 75% on security products optimized for smaller organizations , the company said. Qualified rural hospitals can receive free cybersecurity assessments from qualified technology security vendors and free training for IT and frontline staff.
Additionally, eligible hospitals using Microsoft tools can receive the enhanced security suite at no additional cost for one year. And Microsoft will extend security updates for Windows 10 to participating hospitals for one year for free.
The Biden administration notes that cyberattacks are particularly disruptive to rural hospitals, which serve more than 60 million patients across the United States.
With rural hospitals designated as critical access areas – located more than 35 miles from another hospital – care could be disrupted during a ransomware attack, such as ambulance diversion injury and the need to fall back on manual solutions, which can be especially dangerous.
In recognition of the essential role these more than 2,000 rural hospitals play in the communities they serve, the White House, AHA and NRHA led this effort.
“Rural hospitals face a unique cybersecurity challenge, balancing limited resources with the increasing complexity of threats,” said Alan Morgan, executive director of NRHA. network, putting patient data and critical healthcare infrastructure at risk.”
THE TREND IS GREATER
Cyberattacks against the US healthcare system increased 128% from 2022 to 2023, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
And the first few months of this year have seen some of the most serious healthcare cyberattacks to date, disrupting care delivery, claims processing and more.
The federal government is trying to meet the moment.
The Department of Health and Human Services – which has launched voluntary cybersecurity implementation goals for hospitals and health systems – has launched a healthcare cybersecurity portal to help streamline access to HHS cybersecurity information and resources, and prioritize high-impact cybersecurity practices.
In Congress, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., introduced the Healthcare Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2024.
Meanwhile, just this month, the Healthcare Advanced Research Projects Agency announced the launch of Global Patching and Remediation for Autonomous Defense, or UPGRADE, an initiative that will invest more $50 million to expand hospital cybersecurity capabilities by automatically deploying patches across networks and building new tools for IT teams to better protect hospital environments from attacks network.
And the White House – which in 2023 issued a “national call to action” in its four-pillar national cyber workforce strategy – recently convened chief information security officers and experts other information security experts from across the healthcare sector – vendors, suppliers and others – to compare notes on cybersecurity challenges, share threat information and efforts toward safer engineered technologies for health care.
ON PROFILE
“Cybersecurity is a top priority for America’s hospitals and health systems,” said American Hospital Association President and CEO Rick Pollack. This is also a shared responsibility.” “While hospitals and health systems have invested significant resources to protect against cyberattacks, they cannot do it alone, which is why these commitments from Microsoft and Google is important.
Pollack added: “It’s no secret that many rural hospitals across America are struggling as they serve as the lifeblood of health care in their communities, so it’s important to keep them safe.” is necessary”. “AHA appreciates the White House’s support for rural hospitals and health systems and looks forward to continuing to work with them and other stakeholders in government, law enforcement and the technology sector to extend these resources to all hospitals.”
Mike Miliard is the executive editor of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.
