Cybersecurity Is Patient Care
TL;DR
Cybersecurity is not just an IT problem. HIPAA compliance is real. CIOs must align cybersecurity with the mission and roadmap. Risk and gap assessments are not the same, you need both. Tools aren’t a fix if people and processes aren’t secure. Asset management and vendor vetting are your silent threats. Policies are useless if you don’t enforce them. AI adds risk if you don’t govern it. Cybersecurity is a business enabler.
Clinics Are Being Crushed by the Basics, Here’s Why
Last week on LinkedIn Live, I sat down with Chris Grasso of FASTx Partners to unpack cybersecurity pitfalls that have quietly crippled healthcare organizations.
We’ve seen it firsthand, from six-figure ransomware payouts to trust vaporized with patients and investors.
All preventable.
If you missed the session or want the highlights, this article is your field manual.
Let’s get into it.
Cybersecurity Is Your Mission, Not a Distraction From It
Mission-driven companies often skip over cyber risk.
This is a mistake.
If your EHR is down, your mission is down.
No medications get dispensed.
No labs get processed.
No patients get seen.
Cybersecurity is patient care.
And it's not just the CIO’s problem.
It’s a leadership problem.
💡Ask this: What systems, data, and people power our mission AND what happens when they’re compromised?
Policies Are Not Protection (Unless You Enforce Them)
Having policies in place is not enough.
Most orgs fail to:
❌ Enforce them
❌ Test them
❌ Sanction violations
You wouldn’t run a fire drill once and call it safety.
Same goes for your incident response plan, disaster recovery protocols, and user access reviews.
Do you have a Sanctions Policy in place for employees who ignore protocols?
If the answer is no, you're checking a box and betting your company on it.
This is exactly why we created the HIPAA Exposure Guide.
It’s more than a checklist.
👉 Get the HIPAA Exposure Guide
Risk Assessment ≠ Gap Assessment (You Need Both)
Here’s the breakdown most leaders miss:
Assessment Type What It Does
Risk Assessment Identifies threats, vulnerabilities, and impact to the business.
Gap Assessment Evaluates how well you're meeting HIPAA's security requirements.
Both are required.
Both inform roadmap, budget, and prioritization.
Skipping one leaves blind spots and blind spots get breached.
💡Start here: Do we know our top 5 risk exposures today?
Shadow IT Is Your Blind Spot And Your Breach Waiting to Happen
Most orgs don’t know all the apps or endpoints in use.
That’s dangerous.
Remote workers purchase software without security reviews.
AI tools get used without governance.
SaaS vendors are integrated without BAAs.
You can’t protect what you don’t track.
Asset management is not optional.
Start by documenting:
✅ All hardware and devices
✅ All third-party apps (especially cloud-based)
✅ Who has access and to what
Learn more about asset management here:
Your Third-Party Vendors Are Your Weakest Link
SOC 2 compliance is not a green light.
And BAAs aren’t just a formality.
Third-party risk now accounts for 42% of breaches in healthcare.
You must go deeper:
✅ Review their controls, not just their credentials
✅ Audit for actual data handling practices
✅ Demand documentation (not just “we’re secure” claims)
And if they can't fill out a basic risk questionnaire, that's your answer.
💡Ask yourself: Should I bet the company on this vendor’s security posture?
AI [CAN?] be a Force Multiplier For You
AI isn't a free pass to skip staffing.
It works if you have the right people and processes already.
Otherwise, you're throwing tech at a human problem.
Also, AI itself introduces risk:
❌ Data gets copied into ChatGPT.
❌ Tools share PHI with third-party processors.
❌ Teams use AI without governance.
But don't just block tools.
Build guardrails and train your team on responsible use.
💡Tip: If you haven't created an internal AI policy you're behind.
Don’t Budget for Cybersecurity Later, Build It In Now
Security is not a plug-in.
It must be part of your operational model and budget.
Treat it like electricity.
Like payroll.
Like insurance.
Because it is.
💡Tip: Assess first, build a roadmap, then choose tools or partners.
Buying tools without an assessment is how waste happens.
Your Size Doesn’t Make You Invisible
In fact, it makes you a target.
Smaller healthcare organizations are:
❌ Less likely to have full-time security teams
❌ More likely to have unmonitored endpoints
❌ Be less rigorous with vendor oversight
60% of small businesses hit by cyberattacks go out of business within 6 months.
Start with a risk assessment.
Then show your board what needs fixing.
Final Word
Being small doesn’t make you invisible.
Being fast doesn’t mean skipping the fundamentals.
And HIPAA compliance isn't something you can fake your way through.
Security isn’t something you buy.
It’s something you build.
Build it right before someone else breaks it.
Watch the Full LinkedIn Live Replay
We covered every one of these points in detail with real-world stories, quotes, and solutions.
