Like It or Not, Healthcare Is a Digital Business

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An undisclosed computer problem forced United Airlines to ground all domestic flights on Sunday. The halt lasted only an hour, but that was long enough to produce an avalanche of delays and customer complaints across the country. A similar incident last October disrupted United flights worldwide. A month before that, British Airways resorted to issuing hand-written boarding passes after its passenger check-in systems failed. A buggy router caused Southwest Airlines to cancel 2,300 flights at the height of last year’s vacation season.

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Is an organization whose sole purpose is to move people and things a digital business? It certainly seems so.

The same question has been raised about healthcare, perhaps the most human of all industries. Should a caring, compassionate hospital be viewed as a digital entity? The obvious answer is yes.

The modern hospital relies on a vast IT infrastructure to carry out its mission. Care delivery as we know is not just supported, but made possible by a network of electronic records, information management systems, and medical devices. Not even the most skeptical Luddites would argue that digitization has been anything but positive for healthcare. It’s something to be appreciated and embraced.

While some health systems still haven’t transitioned to a digital mindset, the criminals sure have. Becker’s Hospital Review reports that healthcare was hit harder by cyber attacks last year than any other industry. In fact, 88 percent of all ransomware attacks were aimed at hospitals. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in California was locked out of its EHR system for a week, forcing clinical staff to work on paper. Only after the facility paid $17,000 to the hackers was access restored.

The stakes are high in healthcare. Any asset with the operational importance of IT needs to be secured and defended with an integrated system of policies and controls. Cyber security is security. It’s all part of being a digital business.

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