In the News: research reveals cybersecurity flaws, the impact of economic downturn, and more
Healthcare is a prime target for cybercriminals. According to U.S. government data, the number of healthcare breaches in the first five months of 2022 has nearly doubled from the same period last year.
These numbers tell us that not only are hackers actively looking for sensitive information that they can sell for profit on the dark web, but also that many hospitals and healthcare systems may have inadequate cybersecurity practices — especially in the wake of mass burnout, staffing shortages, tight budgets, and a looming economic downturn.
In this month’s news roundup, we’ll take a closer look at recent research that revealed what’s happening and where the healthcare industry needs to focus if they want to strengthen their defense against cyber-attacks. Plus, can the medtech industry afford to weather an economic downturn?
Get the answer and more below.
Undefined Roles, Responsibilities For Medical Device Security Heighten Risks
According to research conducted by Cynerio and the Ponemon Institute, nearly 80 percent of 517 survey respondents did not consider their organization’s IoT and IoMT cybersecurity activities to be mature. In fact, nearly half of surveyed respondents said that their organization had experienced attacks on medical devices that led to patient data being stolen, and 56 percent said that the attacks led to an inability to provide patient care, some with potentially fatal consequences.
These results show a significant disconnect within the industry as security risks are an ongoing threat, and yet some organizations are still neglecting to actively defend against them.
Medical device industry confident it can ride out recession, wary of slowing capital sales
Despite medtech companies continuing to face challenges like hospital staffing shortages and supply chain constraints, industry analysts are confident that the medical device sector is equipped to weather an economic downturn as the industry’s latest earnings season comes to an end. See highlights from the last quarterly report.
Connected Medical Machines Offer Better Uptime, Predictability and Patient Satisfaction
Cost pressures, staffing shortages, increasingly engaged healthcare consumers, value-based care and other industry trends make it imperative that hospitals eliminate data silos and maximize medical equipment ROI. See why it’s imperative for healthcare organizations to deploy smart-hospital solutions built around machine data analytics platforms.
Strikes among healthcare workers in 2022
As more contracts for unionized healthcare workers come up for expiration, nurses, technicians and other staff are pushing for measures to improve working conditions and safety in the years following the historic public health crisis. Recent conversations have come at a time of looming recession when hospitals continue grappling with recruitment and retention issues driven by burnout and persistent, heightened labor costs.
