Following up on a letter to health organizations to describe their cybersecurity challenges, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., sent a letter to the heads of health-related Federal agencies on Monday, calling on them to work towards a national health-sector cybersecurity strategy.
Warner’s letter, sent to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), and the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), highlights the growth of cyber threats to the healthcare industry.
“As we welcome the benefits of health care technology we must also ensure we are effectively protecting patient information and the essential operations of our health care entities,” Warner wrote.
The recent efforts by Sen. Warner are part of his attempts to help develop a national healthcare cybersecurity strategy, with an eye towards immediate and long-term threats.
“It is my hope that with thoughtful and carefully considered feedback we can develop a national strategy that improves the safety, resilience, and security of our health care industry,” he wrote.
To garner some of that feedback, Warner requested that the agencies identify any proactive steps taken to reduce cyber vulnerabilities in the health care sector, describe collaborative efforts with other Federal agencies to establish a national strategy, and any legislative changes they would recommend. Warner requested their feedback by March 22.