The 21-member task force — which HHS established in response to the Cybersecurity Act of 2015 — held public meetings and consulted with experts about the state of cybersecurity in the healthcare industry. Emery Csulak, chief information security officer of CMS and Theresa Meadows, RN, senior vice president and CIO of Fort Worth, Texas-based Cook Children’s Health Care System, co-chaired the task force.
The task force cited more than 100 recommendations and action items, indicating lack of IT talent, modern equipment and operating systems as key factors affecting poor cybersecurity practices in the industry.
Here are six overarching imperatives the task force outlined in its report.
1. Define and streamline leadership, governance and expectations for healthcare industry cybersecurity.
2. Increase the security and resilience of medical devices and health IT.
3. Develop the healthcare workforce capacity necessary to prioritize and ensure cybersecurity awareness and technical capabilities.
4. Increase healthcare industry readiness through improved cybersecurity awareness and education.
5. Identify mechanisms to protect research and development efforts and intellectual property from attacks or exposure.
6. Improve information sharing of industry threats, weaknesses and mitigations.
“Once implemented, the recommendations will increase security for the healthcare industry’s organizations, networks and associated medical devices,” the report stated.
The full Health Care Industry Cyber Security Take Force report can be found here.
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