Reps. Billy Long, R-Mo., and Doris Matsui, D-Calif., reintroduced a bill Tuesday that would require HHS to improve its responses to cyberthreats.
The HHS Cybersecurity Modernization Act (H.R. 4191) would amend the Public Health Service Act, authorizing the HHS secretary to designate an officer responsible for the agency's information security and cybersecurity programs.
It would also require the department to submit a plan that addresses internal coordination on healthcare cybersecurity throughout HHS offices with regulatory authority, HHS' role in securing its own internal information systems and providing assistance to the healthcare sector, and the challenges it faces as both a regulator and a sector-specific agency.
"The cyber threats our nation face are real and growing," said the bill's author, Mr. Long. "My bill works to increase collaboration between HHS and the healthcare sector to ensure the protection of Americans' sensitive personal data. Cybersecurity threats are nothing new, but how we respond to them needs to improve and this bill is an important step in strengthening our cybersecurity efforts at HHS and in the healthcare community."
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