Cyberattacks are a major threat to healthcare organizations, with the potential for HIPAA data breaches, the loss of critical patient data, the inability to provide care, and substantial financial losses from ransoms and litigation. Nelson Mullins partner Trish Markus spoke with Healthcare Risk Management about the recent rise in ransomware attacks against businesses, including healthcare organizations. Markus says risk managers should urge leaders to fully support information security efforts as a critical first step.

“It is important to be vigilant and respond promptly to the warnings from the government on these issues,” she told Healthcare Risk Management. “Once healthcare organizations have been alerted to these vulnerabilities, it is their obligation to follow through with the recommended fixes or defense mechanisms. But it can be a real challenge for some smaller entities without the resources or expertise.”