April 2023
Last month, Houston Methodist leaders sat down with Scripps Memorial Health to learn more about a cyberattack at their hospital which caused 30 days of downtime and hackers stealing nearly 150,000 patients’ healthcare records. We can learn a great deal from Scripps’ experience. Listen to the recorded session here.
The fact is, U.S. health care organizations are prime targets for cyberattacks. There were a record 344 breaches in 2022 per the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) 2022 Data Break Report. The data is daunting, healthcare organizations worldwide averaged 1,463 cyberattacks per week in 2022. That’s up 74% from 2021, according to Check Point Research. How are the cybercriminals getting in? A HIMSS Cybersecurity survey in 2021 found the following:
To help us all be safer and protect our precious patient and corporate data be vigilant and follow these guidelines:
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Recognize phishing messages and use the Report Suspicious button in Outlook to report them.
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Be careful what you click. Never open an attachment or click a link unless you know the sender.
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Keep all your work and personal devices updated and running on the most current software.
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Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible, at work and at home. This is an extra layer of security to verify your identity.
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Update your HM password to at least 15 characters or use a strong passphrase.
For more information, review this article from the CIO Quarterly Report.
In addition to an emphasis on cybersecurity, we’re also taking steps to prepare you for any planned or unplanned downtimes. Our nursing informatics team has been rounding in inpatient and ED units at each hospital, distributing new Epic downtime resources including a quick guide and badge buddies and downtime drill forms. Be sure to complete the drill forms by April 21.
Thank you for your participation and partnership in these efforts, especially those identified as our Downtime Champions!
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