ARTICLE
13 September 2024

Bipartisan Bills Would Promote Cyber Security Efforts In Healthcare

The Senate has passed, and in late summer the House introduced, legislation aimed at improving cyber security in healthcare. Congress' efforts in this regard would put the efforts of two agencies together...
United States Food, Drugs, Healthcare, Life Sciences

The Senate has passed, and in late summer the House introduced, legislation aimed at improving cyber security in healthcare. Congress' efforts in this regard would put the efforts of two agencies together, in an attempt to share resources including threat intel.

WHY IT MATTERS

The healthcare sector is a frequent target for cyber threats, including a massive breach of a payment processing platform early this year that impaired healthcare delivery for weeks. Under the new bills in Congress, HHS (which regulates healthcare) and CISA (the federal cyber watchdog agency) would be directed to coordinate efforts before and during any cyber attack in the healthcare sector. The two agencies have cooperated on cyber issues in the past. The pending bills would formalize and expand their working relationship.

"Hospitals and health centers are fundamental pillars of our nation's infrastructure. With the alarming rise in malicious cyberattacks causing critical data breaches, increased healthcare costs, and jeopardized patient health, we cannot delay action in addressing this issue," Fitzpatrick said.

"By providing new resources for cybersecurity risk training and fortifying our cybersecurity protections nationwide, our bipartisan legislation takes decisive action to safeguard our healthcare systems and protect lives."

With this in mind, lawmakers are pushing for more coordination between CISA and HHS to help healthcare entities manage risks. For example, the bill proposes the appointment of a special liaison to HHS within CISA to increase communication and collaboration during cybersecurity incidents.

www.techtarget.com/...

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More