Dive Brief:

• In a recent letter to the US Food and Drug Administration, American Hospital Association Senior Vice President of Public Policy Analysis and Development Linda Fishman told the agency to hold device manufacturers accountable for ensuring the safety of medical devices from cyberthreats.
• The letter was a response to a request for comments published by the FDA in September on collaborative approaches for medical device and healthcare cybersecurity.  
• "Hospitals and health systems must consider the full spectrum of cyberthreats, not just those involving medical devices," Fishman wrote. "The [healthcare and public health] sector cannot successfully protect against cyber risk unless all parts of the sector actively manage risk."

Dive Insight:

While everyone is awestruck at new technology and innovation, it's easy to forget that security is a moving target, and new vulnerabilities emerge every day. Cybersecurity is a growing issue, and the AHA's concerns are relevant as healthcare becomes more connected. As the AHA letter pointed out, medical devices have been identified as key vulnerabilities and high-risk areas for the security of hospitals' overall information systems.