The American Hospital Association (AHA) participated in a Wall Street Journal Tech Live Cybersecurity event on June 6, discussing the significant cyberattack on Change Healthcare that occurred on February 21. Stacey Hughes, AHA’s executive vice president of government relations and public policy, joined Erik Decker, vice president and chief information security officer for Intermountain Health, and WSJ Reporter James Rundle to address the impact of the attack on hospitals and health systems, the government’s response, and the implications for federal cybersecurity policy.
Hughes highlighted the challenges faced by the government in responding to the incident, noting that it took some time for policymakers to fully grasp the severity of the attack. She attributed this delay in part to initial underestimations of the impact by UnitedHealth Group, which minimized the situation. This downplaying of the incident hindered swift government action. Hughes emphasized the need for improvement in both government response protocols and understanding the appropriate measures to take in such situations.
In response to the cyberattack, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced that hospitals and health systems have the authority to compel UnitedHealth Group to notify affected patients if their data was compromised during the breach. This development underscores the ongoing efforts to address the aftermath of the attack and mitigate its impact on individuals.
The discussion at the Wall Street Journal event shed light on the complexities of cybersecurity in the healthcare sector and highlighted the importance of collaboration between industry stakeholders, government agencies, and cybersecurity experts to effectively address and prevent future threats.
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