Black Book Research Survey Reports Growing Patient Concerns About Cybersecurity
FRANKLIN, Tenn., – January 18th, 2021
The Healthcare Clients and Consumers Grade Cybersecurity Software and Services, Black Book™ Industry 2022 Survey, has been released. After surveying almost 3,000 security and IT professionals, Black Book Research shared its findings. In the same survey, Black Book Research named Fortified Health Security, Top-Ranked Cybersecurity Vendor for Outsourcing & Security Network Managed Services in 2022.
One of the findings illustrates how IT professionals may be feeling on the ground.86% of IT professionals agreed with the sentiments that data attackers are outpacing their medical enterprises, holding providers at a continued disadvantage in responding to vulnerabilities.
In a recent article about the future of healthcare in 2002 for Health IT Answers, Fortified Health’s CEO Dan Dodson stated, “I predict more public awareness on the need for hospitals to divert care because of these cyber incidents. Care disruption not only has a devastating effect on the reputation of hospitals and health systems, but more importantly, it has a significant and measurable negative impact on overall patient care. Therefore, 2022 will likely bring increased visibility into how these cyberattacks are affecting hospitals and their patients in real-time.”
According to Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Breach Portal, more than 600 reported breaches in 2021 affected nearly 45 million patients. Additionally, a Ponemon study released earlier this year highlighted the impact on patient care following a cyber incident. According to the survey, 43% of respondents said their Health Delivery Organizations (HDOs) experienced a ransomware attack, and 45% said they believed the attack resulted in a disruption of patient care over the past two years.
The Aftermath of Cyber Attacks
Heightened Focus on Patient Confidence
Black Book conducted another independent survey of more than 5,000 healthcare consumers. The responses show a strong correlation between breach response and patient confidence. Ten percent of consumers stated they were only informed of cyberattacks in the healthcare industry in the past 24 months because of regional media coverage. Furthermore, 95% of patients believe their providers shield them from communications of actual data breaches and threats. Additionally, consumers indicate that medical data protection is quickly becoming a key issue in 2022.
According to Black Book, “91% of patients aged 25-34, 96% of patients 35-44 and 87% of patients 45-54 stated they would break from their current health system loyalty, either hospital or physician practice, if a major data breach or ransomware incident personally affected them in 2022 where available IT solutions to protect their privacy was not properly utilized.”
Shifting Expectations for Healthcare Providers and Cybersecurity
William Crank, COO of Fortified Health Security, shared his thoughts on shifting patient expectations. “We appear to be entering a new stage of healthcare patient awareness. The expectations for receiving streamlined care driven through technology while protecting their patient data is a rapidly growing concern, as Black Book’s survey reflects. Patient awareness is another layer of risk that healthcare organizations should take under consideration.”
“Adequate cybersecurity measures, uninterrupted patient care, and breach transparency appear to be bigger issues for patients than in the past. As a result, Healthcare organizations should be raising their cybersecurity postures and post-breach procedures to limit the impact of an incident,” said Crank.
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About Fortified Health Security
Fortified is Healthcare’s Cybersecurity Partner® – protecting patient data and reducing risk throughout the healthcare ecosystem. As a managed security service provider, Fortified works alongside healthcare organizations to build tailored programs designed to leverage their prior security investments and current processes while implementing new solutions intended to reduce risk and increase their security posture over time. Fortified’s high-touch engagements and customized recommendations maximize the value of investments and result in actionable information to help reduce the risk of cyber events.
For more information, contact connect@fortifiedhealthsecurity.com, (615) 600-4002, or visit FortifiedHealthSecurity.com.