The U.S. healthcare system lost $6.2 billion in 2016 due to data breaches, with the average data breach costing healthcare organizations' $2.2 million, according to an HHS report, which includes data between 2016 and 2018.
Five things to know:
1. Data breaches can be very costly for hospitals and health systems. A study from IBM Security cited in the report found that it cost healthcare organizations $408 per record in 2018. This is up from $380 per breached record in 2017.
2. Four in five U.S. physicians have experienced some kind of cyberattack.
3. To help prevent cyberattacks, HHS recommends adopting email protection systems, endpoint protection systems, access management and vulnerability management. Additionally, hospitals and health systems can incorporate medical device security to improve cybersecurity efforts.
4. Across healthcare organizations, 4 percent to 7 percent of hospitals' total IT budgets were spent on cybersecurity. Comparatively, cross industry cybersecurity spending ranges from 10 percent to 14 percent.
5. Between 2016 and 2017, 1,309 records were inappropriately accessed by a single employee.
To view the full report, click here.