November 26, 2025 | 7 minutes Read
Healthcare has become one of the most targeted industries for cyberattacks—more than financial services, retail, or government sectors. Why? Because patient data is extraordinarily valuable, medical devices are increasingly interconnected, and healthcare environments often struggle with outdated systems and resource limitations.
As regulatory expectations tighten (HIPAA, HITECH, OCR audits) and cyber threats grow more sophisticated, healthcare organizations must not only protect patient information—they must prove they're doing it consistently.
This blog explores the top information security risks facing healthcare today, along with practical, real-world ways to mitigate them. Throughout, you'll also see how a smart policy + training platform like PM AM HCM can strengthen your security posture—subtly, without a sales pitch.
Ransomware is the most damaging cyber threat in healthcare. Attacks often lead to:
The biggest issue: many hospitals still run legacy systems, use weak passwords, or lack incident-response readiness.
Security policies and incident-response SOPs can be stored, assigned, tracked, and acknowledged in real time so staff always have the latest instructions during an emergency—no confusion, no outdated documents.
Nearly 60% of healthcare breaches are caused by internal users—mostly unintentionally.
Common examples:
Consistent micro-training modules, policy re-confirmations, and automated reminders ensure that human error decreases drastically over time.
Many healthcare organizations have strong policies—but no standardized way to:
This becomes a major risk during OCR audits or security incidents.
It acts as a single source of truth for IT, HR, clinical, and compliance teams—keeping policies living, updated, and audit-ready.
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has exploded: infusion pumps, heart monitors, imaging devices, telehealth equipment.
The problem?
Many devices:
This makes them ideal entry points for attackers.
IT teams can use policy-based workflows to standardize device maintenance protocols, ensuring consistency across facilities.
Billing companies, cloud providers, telehealth vendors, EHR consultants—they all touch sensitive PHI.
A single weak vendor can expose millions of patient records.
Vendor policies, BAAs, and documentation can be organized in one controlled space—making assessments easier and audits smoother.
OCR expects organizations to demonstrate:
Failure to respond quickly increases the severity of penalties.
Automated reminders, accessible SOPs, and trackable read receipts help ensure that teams know exactly what to do the moment an incident occurs.
Telehealth, hybrid work, and mobile charting create new vulnerabilities when:
Staff can easily access and acknowledge mobile and telework policies—even from personal devices—ensuring uniform compliance.
While cybersecurity tools (firewalls, SIEM, MDM, endpoint security) are essential, people and policies remain the biggest deciding factors in whether a healthcare organization stays secure.
Threats evolve daily. Regulations tighten. Staff turnover continues.
What keeps healthcare organizations protected is continuous, organization-wide alignment.
That's where platforms like PM AM HCM bring measurable value—by making compliance, communication, and policy governance repeatable, trackable, and audit-ready.
or visit www.pmamhcm.com learn how PM AM HCM helps healthcare organizations design, deploy, and monitor secure BYOD policies — keeping teams connected and compliant.
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