HHS updates Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices guide for health sector

The Department of Health and Human Services today released Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices: Managing Threats and Protecting Patients, which outlines the top five threats facing the health care sector and 10 practices to combat them. 

“The updated HICP guide represents a practical, step-by-step cybersecurity guide for all-size health care providers and the collective knowledge of the best health care cybersecurity experts in the field and the government,” said John Riggi, AHA’s national advisor for cybersecurity and risk. “The must-read 2023 HICP guide includes additions and updates on social engineering, cyber risk governance, medical devices and zero trust, among other topics. So significant is this body of work that it is specifically cited in statute. Public Law 116 321, which the AHA strongly supported, provides regulator relief for health care provider victims of cyberattacks if they can demonstrate adherence to the cybersecurity practices outlined in HICP. Ultimately, HICP and the AHA recognize that cyberthreats pose the most significant risk to patient care and safety. Continued knowledge exchange and operational collaboration between the field and the government will go a long way in helping to defend health care and the patients we serve from these evolving cyberthreats.”

For more information on this or other cyber and risk issues, contact Riggi at jriggi@aha.org. For the latest cyber and risk resources and threat intelligence, visit aha.org/cybersecurity.