HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm Discusses Healthcare Access, Cybersecurity and Recovery Efforts at AHA Annual Membership Meeting

During the AHA Annual Membership Meeting, Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) addressed attendees about the Administration’s efforts to improve healthcare access and increase the number of people with health insurance. She also discussed the recent Change Healthcare cyberattack and the future of cybersecurity.

Palm explained that the cyberattack was a valuable lesson, highlighting that such attacks are inevitable. In January, HHS released cybersecurity performance goals for the healthcare sector, and Palm outlined plans to help hospitals and health systems implement best practices to protect patient information and hospital networks. She emphasized the importance of supporting rural hospitals that may lack the resources to achieve these goals on their own.

Although Change Healthcare’s worst cyberattack may have passed, Palm assured attendees that HHS would continue to support hospitals and health systems in their recovery efforts. She emphasized the need to remain vigilant and prepared for future attacks, viewing them as an opportunity to learn and improve cybersecurity measures.

Palm concluded by expressing her commitment to working with attendees to enhance healthcare access for individuals across the country. She acknowledged that there is still much work ahead but encouraged cooperation to strengthen cybersecurity in the healthcare sector.

In summary, during her address at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting, Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm from HHS discussed various topics related to healthcare accessibility, cybersecurity, and recovery efforts following a recent Change Healthcare cyberattack.