Dive Brief:
- A new 21-member cybersecurity task force has been appointed by HHS in response to increasing cyberattacks on health information systems in hospitals and other provider facilities during the past two years.
- The task force consists of members from a range of industries such as pharmaceutical, technology, insurers, government, and healthcare systems. It includes healthcare IT leaders from Kaiser Permanente, Anthem, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Philips Healthcare, etc.
- The group's focus will be to study how different sectors keep data and connected medical devices secure, and then report its findings to Congress and the public. It will also develop resource materials to provide information on how to protect healthcare data.;
Dive Insight:
Prerequisites for becoming a task force member included experience in health information security and knowledge of major health information security policies, best practices, and trends.
"Healthcare data may be used for a variety of nefarious purposes, including fraud, identity theft, and disruption of hospital systems," HHS said in an announcement. "Connected medical devices with cybersecurity vulnerabilities left unaddressed could pose a risk to patient safety."
Cyberattacks in the healthcare sector have increased dramatically in the past two years due, in part, to the high price of personal information on the black market. Also, ransomware is now hitting hospitals like Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, which was forced to pay $17,000 to have their data unlocked, as previously reported by Healthcare Dive.
The task force term is only for one year but HHS' Acting Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield expressed confidence in their abilities. "The members of this Task Force are leaders in government and private industry," Wakefiled said in a statement last week. "We need to protect the data at the foundation of our healthcare system."