We often hear about the challenges rural hospitals face in preventing and responding to cyberattacks. Here’s an article that provides some numbers for context. Don Gronning reports:
Small hospitals have been a target of cyber criminals, hospital district CEO Kim Manus told Pend Oreille Hospital District No. 1 commissioners at their regular meeting Thursday, July 24.
“Cyber security has become a huge thing within the region,” Manus said. Newport Hospital and Health Services belongs to The Rural Collaborative with other small rural hospitals. Last year there were four incidents within that group.
“They’re small hospitals, they’re like us,” Manus said. “Some of them were down and had no access to systems for several weeks.”
Because of the four claims generated by cyber-attacks, the group’s insurance carrier dropped excess coverage for the collaborative. That means the group will have to decide whether to purchase new insurance in excess of their regular insurance. The insurance used to cover $21 million in excess claims and that level wasn’t reached before the carrier dropped them. Now the group is looking at insurance that would cover $28 million or $35 million in claims. Manus said it’s all or nothing for the coverage, meaning all the hospitals would have to agree.
Read more at The Miner Newspapers.