Cybersecurity Is New Rural Health IT Community’s First Priority
Health IT consulting firm Nordic has partnered with Microsoft and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) to develop a national Rural Health IT Community.
Launched at the recent CHIME Fall Forum, the community’s stated goals are to advocate for and be the recipients of policy, programs, and services specific to rural healthcare; foster collaboration between rural hospitals and global technology leaders; and increase the use of innovative technologies that protect vulnerable rural healthcare organizations.
A Digital Health Insights report on the CHIME Fall Forum quotes Linda Stevenson, CIO at Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Norwalk, Ohio, and a community member: “This is our opportunity to be an advocate and a voice. How can we come together and be one voice in terms of care and priorities?”
Digital Health Insights reported that Scott McEarchen, CIO of Southern Coos Hospital, and Pam Austin, CIO & SVP at Ballad Health, are also community members.
The group is being formed to provide rural digital health leaders and their teams with a dedicated forum to connect, share solutions, and drive innovation in the communities they serve. Insights gathered during member meetings will inform the strategic priorities the Rural Health IT Community will focus on solving.
The Rural Health IT Community’s first program is focused on improving cybersecurity to help rural hospitals, which often have limited resources, address growing threats and events that can severely impact operations and compromise private health data. Madison, Wis.-based Nordic recently launched its third-party vulnerability management service, and Microsoft recently announced the Microsoft Cybersecurity Program for Rural Hospitals.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Microsoft and CHIME on this national initiative to help keep rural health services safe and secure and drive innovation,” said Jason Griffin, managing director of digital health strategy and cybersecurity at Nordic, in a statement. “By combining our expertise and services with Microsoft technology and resources and CHIME’s industry voice, we’re shaping the future of rural healthcare to better serve patients no matter how resource limited or physically distant the health system may be.”
