Hopefully, you didn’t have a doctor appointment in Campbell County Wyoming recently. And if you had an emergency situation, perhaps you were not getting the immediate care that you may have hoped for when you showed up at the ER. It wasn’t the long wait from an overcrowded hospital waiting room, or overworked doctors running behind that was causing the delay, it was hackers messing with your health. Ransomware was deployed sometime on Friday, September 20th, bringing several aspects of the electronic record-keeping process to its knees.
Medical professionals take an oath to protect and uphold your health – and many other things along that line. But they are working against an invisible enemy and it’s not one that medicine can treat or prevent. Hackers are hitting us where it hurts the most – healthcare. While Campbell County does remain open and available to treat patients, their virtual hands are tied while the ransomware issue is addressed.
As of September 29th, the hospital was still operating with no email and limited fax capabilities.
How Can I Protect My Organization?
Patient health is always a top priority and that remains the case at this facility. But to maintain that, cybersecurity has to be put up there as a top priority as well. If a medical facility wants to expand its ability to treat more patient issues, they add staff members that specialize in a particular area. The time to add staff or have an ongoing relationship with your IT provider to support your business’s cybersecurity is NOW. This role is not a one-time deal either. This needs to be a full-time and ongoing part of running a safe and secure business not only to treat the health of the patients but also the health of the business.
And remember, the size of your organization doesn’t matter. If you are not a hospital you are still a huge target for cybersecurity threats.
Contact us today to discuss how ContinuIT can protect your practice while increasing staff productivity.