Should Medtech —Not Healthcare IT Departments—Take the Lead in Cybersecurity?

Walking through a recent healthcare conference, I couldn’t help but notice the number of devices that were ‘connected’ to ease the patient/practitioner experience and extend the quality of care beyond hospital walls. This connectivity has changed how a patient is diagnosed, treated, and managed. Yet in this digital world, each connectivity point introduces a potential weakness that a growing number of attackers may try to exploit. Unfortunately, there is no single method to protect against every possible threat, but layering security from the software on a device and carrying through to hospital networks can collectively enhance the security posture of a device.
Why Medical Devices?
With an estimated 10 to 15 million devices operating inside healthcare delivery organizations (HDO) in the United States, it is clear that medical devices are an integral part of medical networks. So you may ask yourself, since most devices operate inside an HDO, doesn’t that HDO manage how the device operates?
Truth is, there are technical limitations an HDO faces when securing a device post-market. Should an HDO try to change the software on a device excessively, there is a potential to void a device warranty or to change clinical functionality unintentionally. This warranty is important for clinical functionality and ongoing vendor support as updated versions of the device software are available for patching. Therefore, the...

Source: MDDI - March 15, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Vidya Murthy Tags: Regulatory and Compliance Source Type: news