Cybercriminals across the globe continue to target healthcare organizations, exploiting any vulnerability they can. Healthcare organizations are still struggling to protect themselves against these hackers, whose tactics are getting more sophisticated by the day.

Read the full article at medicalbuyer.co.in

Smaller healthcare organizations don’t always have access to the same advanced digital tools as larger organizations do. Even when under the umbrella of a huge healthcare system, small hospitals won’t necessarily share EHRs, virtual environments, or other key technologies with the bigger facilities in the system.

Read the full article at beckershospitalreview.com

Technology advances at a breakneck pace these days, and small IT teams with limited resources often scramble to keep their tech secure and useful to clinicians. And that can be a problem, since technology only streamlines and optimizes patient care if it can be successfully deployed. So, even when IT resources are strained, healthcare organizations must still move forward with technology, doing whatever they can to keep up. 

The Trust had been using Imprivata Enterprise Access Management (formerly OneSign) since 2015 for single sign on, so staff were familiar with tap and go for accessing patient information and systems, such as electronic patient records (EPR).

However, in 2021 the Trust instigated a new project around the use of observation devices to collect and record vital signs information for in-patients.

David Hancock, co-chair of INTEROPen recently penned a blog about the clear benefits of open standards and the challenges of delivering them.

He remarks at the end of the blog “Open standards are vital for opening up the NHS for system vendors, but also citizens whilst building a far healthier and collaborative environment for IT development.”

This is a statement that we at Imprivata wholeheartedly agree with.

Even if a hospital isn’t directly targeted by a cyberattack, it can still suffer the ramifications of one. For instance, if a hospital is breached and unable to operate, it needs to divert patients to other facilities. This can put increased strain on surrounding hospitals, impacting care delivery, causing delays and creating a patient safety risk. Or, a software vendor could be breached, taking down payment or billings systems the hospital relies on.

To combat the escalating proliferation of cyberattacks on healthcare, organisations need to ensure their IT and cyber foundations are sound. This seems like an obvious statement to make, but after 15 years of poor investment in health IT, there’s a lot to do. Andy E, former Director of Connected Nottinghamshire, the first chief cyber security officer for a system STP and most recently the first Chief Cyber Security Officer for an ICS at Birmingham and Solihull explores the key capabilities required to improve things.

As the new UK government settles in and turns its manifesto pledges into actual policies for the next 5 years and beyond, Ian Hogan, CIO for Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, discusses how this period of change, coinciding with the availability of new technologies, provides an opportunity to look at healthcare in a different way.