You may or may not have seen this, but over the weekend a major healthcare system in the United States was hit with ransomware at their facilities forcing a system shutdown that impacted patient care and hospital revenue at over 250 facilities.

News stations from across the country have reported on the ongoing devastation UHS is experiencing

Technology use in the healthcare space has geared up over the past decade, with many more innovative advances coming to the industry. While the overall acceptance has improved patient outcomes, operational consistencies, and even improved budget expenses for medical facilities across the globe, the advancement of technology use also comes with certain risks.

As more systems and assets migrate to cloud-based technology and integrated network system, healthcare facilities are at risk of cybersecurity breaches such as the one that hit over this weekend. In this situation, administration and IT departments have been scrambling to shut down access and kick out the breaches.

Unfortunately, the reactive approach to such security breaches leaves healthcare facilities behind the curve as it slows down patient care, backs up surgical procedures, and increases cost as resources are added or diverted to address the situation.

While the risk can be scary, there are ways for healthcare facilities to migrate into a proactive approach. Multiple industry thought leaders have expressed the importance of implementing cybersecurity risk management into the industry to protect their systems, their assets, and their patients.

A wide variety of programs and services are available and can be tailored to fit the individual preferences of facilities.

We here at SPBS are here to help guide you as you navigate through the cybersecurity risk of your facility. Contact us to learn more about how our services can help reduce risk and provide you valuable insight into protecting your facility and assets.