In the United States, an aggravation of the problem of cyberattacks on hospitals has been recorded.
The number of hacker attacks on American healthcare institutions demonstrates the dynamics of growth. Since the beginning of this year, 226 cases of cybercriminal activity against hospitals have been recorded. These attacks affected 36 million people. The figures recorded since the beginning of 2023 exceed last year’s results. This was announced by John Riggi, National Advisor on Cybersecurity and Risks of the American Hospital Association
The urgency of this problem is growing against the background of an increase in the cost of receiving health services for residents of the United States. In addition, in the USA, there is an increase in the use of digital medical platforms.
In addition to cyber threats, another urgent problem for American hospitals at the moment is the growth of labor and supply costs. There is also a shortage of staff. Moody’s Investors Service analyst Matthew Cahill said 2022 was arguably the worst year in the history of the American healthcare system in terms of financial performance. He also noted that within the framework of the current situation, hospitals do not have room for maneuver, which could be a solution to the problem.
As for cyber threats, for the healthcare sector, the coronavirus pandemic has become a factor that has aggravated the already difficult state of affairs. Omid Rahmani, head of the public finance cybersecurity group at Fitch Ratings, says that Covid has become a transformative event in terms of digital threats. According to him, most of the networks of medical institutions were designed in such a way as to become virtual overnight, which eventually led to not the best security consequences.
The results of sociological research indicate that American consumers are ready to move the medical care sector into the digital space. More than 65% of respondents already use the corresponding virtual platforms. Other consumers are interested in a new format of interaction with the healthcare system.
Over the past 12 months, 20% of patients in the United States have made an appointment with a doctor via digital channels. Most often it was done by those who needed urgent care.
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) predicts that by 2031, the share of healthcare costs in the structure of the American economy will be about 20%.
The problem of hospital workforce costs and the threat of cyberattacks can be solved with the help of artificial intelligence. For example, in the UK, the government has created a $26.7 million fund to introduce AI into the healthcare system. Advanced technology can be used to make decisions about treatment in the early stages of stroke and diagnosis of cancer. At the same time, analysts say that artificial intelligence will become an effective means of ensuring cybersecurity.
