HANDLE offers a variety of solutions to help health systems predict, prevent, and mitigate cybersecurity risks. Learn how we can help supply chain and finance professionals take an active role in cybersecurity management.
Written by: Andrew McCloy, Chief Information Officer
Cybersecurity is an especially important issue in healthcare. Unaddressed cybersecurity risks can result in significant costs to health systems, as well as actual patient harm. In 2021 alone, there were more than 700 large-scale cybersecurity breaches in the U.S. healthcare industry, impacting more than 23 million Americans. In just the first half of 2023, more than 30 million Americans were impacted by healthcare cybersecurity breaches. That makes an individual’s risk of being affected by an attack one in 11. As technology – specifically medical devices, capital equipment, and building control systems – becomes smarter, more connected, and more advanced, there are more potential entry points for attackers.
How can you get a HANDLE on your cybersecurity risks?
HANDLE offers a variety of solutions to help health systems predict, prevent, and mitigate cybersecurity risks. Keep reading to learn how we can help supply chain and finance professionals take an active role in cybersecurity management.
Connecting IT with Supply Chain
In most health systems, IT professionals are aware of specific cybersecurity risks, but there isn’t always an easy or centralized way to share this information with their supply chain counterparts. With more and more medical devices and capital equipment being connected to data networks (IoT devices), the threat of cyberattacks, including ransomware and killware, is very real. HANDLE’s CCM® (Capital Cycle Management) platform provides a secure, one-stop-shop where professionals across the enterprise can have a holistic view of the organization’s assets so they can determine which assets or manufacturers have a higher likelihood of future cybersecurity issues and track the status of cyber-related warnings and recalls. All of these insights can be fully integrated within CCM®.
Prioritize Asset Replacement
CCM® allows health systems to tailor priorities based on customizable risk thresholds on risks associated with cybersecurity, patient safety, product standardization, and other factors. This can help the organization prioritize which assets to replace and which manufacturers to avoid to prevent cybersecurity risks. The integration of Asimily with CCM® provides a single platform where healthcare system supply chain, security, and IT teams gain a holistic and always-current view of their organization’s internet-connected assets. This equipment visibility enables healthcare organizations to determine which assets or manufacturers are at risk of cybersecurity issues, and to track the status of cyber-related warnings and recalls.
Strategically Replace High-Risk Assets
Once a health system has prioritized assets for replacement and other factors, HANDLE can help source new equipment. HANDLE’s Marketplace integrates seamlessly with CCM® and can also be used independently to strategically source replacements for high-risk assets as well as procure new assets that meet the cybersecurity standards of the organization.
Dispose of Assets That No Longer Meet Health System Needs
While certain assets may not meet a health system’s specific cybersecurity standards, they may still hold value for other organizations. When an organization has identified the assets that need to be disposed of, HANDLE offers options for asset disposition that can beat trade-in values including recycling, renewing and reusing options, or reselling via the HANDLE Marketplace.
Cybersecurity may seem like a daunting and complicated issue, but HANDLE is here to help. Take this Cybersecurity Awareness Month as an opportunity to step up your cybersecurity game and contact us today.