HHS Establishes One-Stop Shop to Improve Health Care Cyber Posture

The Department of Health and Human Services is creating a new unit to improve the health care industry’s cyber posture.

Brian Mazanec, deputy director for the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, said that the planned one-stop shop falls right in the HHS ASPR’s work as the risk management agency for the sector.

The decision to establish a group focused on improving health care cybersecurity comes after a ransomware attack crippled Change Healthcare medical payment clearinghouse, eventually delaying benefits to health care institutions, Federal News Network reported.

Mazanec, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, said that with various components under the HHS umbrella, the unit will provide a collaborative approach to managing cybersecurity risks.

Due to the Change Healthcare attack’s impact, Harry Coker, the national cyber director, and Jen Easterly, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, expressed support for President Joe Biden’s recommendation for higher funding for sector risk management agencies.

UnitedHealth Group announced that it has already addressed the situation, promising it will take steps to protect customers from cyberattacks.