Cybersecurity is patient safety

Cyberattacks target every industry all the time, and healthcare is no exception. According to a recent IBM study, the average cost per healthcare cyberattack is a hefty $7 million. Despite numbers like this, cybersecurity often isn’t the C-suite’s top priority. How can CISOs in hospitals and other healthcare organizations demonstrate the value of strong cybersecurity while a host of other issues vie for leadership’s attention?

“To me, cybersecurity actually is a patient safety issue,” says Wes Wright, chief technology officer with Imprivata. “The industry did both areas a disservice long ago when they separated them.”

Clinicians and other professionals who see patients on a daily basis aren’t necessarily thinking about cybersecurity from a patient safety standpoint. That makes password requirements, security education and training, and other requirements seem less directly connected to patient care and safety—even though they actually are integral to both.

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