Sustainable Digital Health Demands Cybersecurity Transformation

Technology has become a mission-critical part of healthcare business operations. The electronic health record, medical equipment, revenue cycle, enterprise resource planning, marketing, legal, planning and building new facilities… every component today is dependent on automated tools. When computer systems go offline, everyone feels the stress of conducting business and delivering care without access to all the information they need. Downtimes are especially dangerous for patients.While there are many reasons that these systems go offline, cybersecurity breaches are primary culprits. Logically then, digital innovation becomes unsustainable in healthcare without cybersecurity transformation. What was good enough at one time is not acceptable anymore. As healthcare has accelerated toward digital dependence, particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity threats have also increased. The time to transform cybersecurity is now.The first thing for healthcare leaders to understand is this: You do not have a malware problem or a ransomware problem-you have a cybersecurity adversary problem. It is important to learn everything about the organizations attacking you, including their structure, motivation, and goals. Armed with those insights, you are more likely to be able to defend your health system. By transforming your cybersecurity program, you will build a foundation on which you can thrive as a modern healthcare operation.