Addressing Cybersecurity Challenges in Healthcare: Insights from Tiffany Gallagher and Prakash Venkata

Healthcare organizations are facing a range of cybersecurity challenges that require attention from Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and Chief Information Officers (CIOs), according to Tiffany Gallagher and Prakash Venkata from PricewaterhouseCooper’s Cyber, Risk and Regulatory Practice. These challenges include heightened regulatory scrutiny, the increasing number of professionals with access to systems and data, inadequate cloud environments, and the impact of major deals activity on cybersecurity.

In a recent HIMSSCast episode, Gallagher and Venkata provided expert guidance on how healthcare organizations can address these challenges head-on. They emphasized the importance of implementing modern identity technologies to manage the complex landscape of internal, contracted, and external parties who have access to sensitive information. Additionally, they discussed the risk associated with allowing development teams to create cloud environments without proper controls and the need for better IT and security integration planning in light of major deals activity.

Beyond these challenges, Gallagher and Venkata also touched on other critical issues such as third-party risk management and the security implications of medical devices in healthcare settings. The conversation underscores the importance of staying ahead of evolving cybersecurity threats in the healthcare industry.

To stay informed on the latest developments in healthcare cybersecurity and IT, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the HIMSSCast podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play. The episode also includes additional insights on topics such as proposed CISA regulations, HIPAA compliance for texting patient data, and cybersecurity performance goals set by HHS for health systems. Healthcare IT News, a HIMSS Media publication, is another resource for staying up-to-date on the latest trends and news in the industry.