Healthcare Cybersecurity Task Force Seeks Industry Input

Elizabeth Snell | Health IT Security | September 20, 2016

The healthcare cybersecurity task force is asking for those in the healthcare industry to submit advice and insight for how to best protect against cybersecurity threats.

The recently appointed Healthcare Cybersecurity Task Force is hoping that a crowdsourcing approach will draw in the necessary advice and insight for how the group can best implement change to keep the healthcare industry secure against evolving threats. The Task Force was created under the Cybersecurity Information Security Act of 2015. Representatives were selected by the Secretary of Health & Human Services, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology.

Members are expected to analyze how other industries are strengthening their cybersecurity approach, and then develop recommendations to apply across the healthcare industry. Task Force Member Fred Trotter explained in a recent blog post that he and the other members are reaching out to those in the healthcare industry through platforms like The Health Care Blog, Reddit and Twitter.

“Our Task Force is asking the healthcare, patient and technology communities for help in this assignment,” Trotter wrote. “We are taking a crowdsourcing approach to cybersecurity ideation so we can aggregate and assess what people have to say about these issues.” Trotter explained that while the Task Force might disagree with some input, or that some advice might not adhere to the federal mandates, the group will do its best to listen to all suggestions...