Health leaders from across the country gathered virtually recently to discuss the need for health institutions to remain vigilant in the face of new and emerging cybersecurity issues, as well as the role the national standard on cybersecurity jointly published in late November 2023 by HealthCareCAN and the Digital Governance Council (DGC), can play in helping address concerns.
HealthCareCAN organized the meeting, chaired by Stephen Greene, Vice President of Digital Health and Chief Information Officer for Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, and attended by approximately 40 HealthCareCAN member organizations, as part of the next phase in HealthCareCAN’s ongoing work with the DGC to promote awareness of the national standard. Jonathan Mitchell, Vice-President, Research and Policy, HealthCareCAN and Darryl Kingston, Executive Director, Digital Governance Standards Institute, overviewed the national standard and available resources to healthcare organizations.
“I am very pleased to be on this call as I have been looking for (a discussion) like this in healthcare for some time,” noted one meeting participant.
Those attending the meeting engaged in detailed discussion on the standard, with one member noting that after reviewing similar standards, it offered more comprehensive recommendations. Meeting participants also expressed interest in HealthCareCAN forming a new virtual cybersecurity collaborative group, which could provide a forum for regular discussion on cybersecurity issues in healthcare going forward.
HealthCareCAN and the DGC developed the CAN/DGSI 118 Cybersecurity: Cyber Resiliency in Healthcare with support from Public Safety Canada’s Cyber Security Cooperation Program. The standard is the culmination of a three-year project and development was informed by HealthCareCAN’s extensive network of health leaders across Canada and the DGC’s wide-ranging network of digital and information technology experts.
The standard is a set of recommendations, tools and resources designed to help organizations across Canada’s healthcare system manage the risks associated with the use of health information and information technology and protect their organizations from cybercrime.
HealthCareCAN and the DGC has also created a number of knowledge translation tools and supported the development of a micro-credential course.
HealthCareCAN will be planning a subsequent Cybersecurity Pan-Canadian Collaborative Meeting in Spring, 2025. If you are interested in attending, or would like further information on HealthCareCAN cybersecurity work, please contact: Siri Chunduri, Policy and Research Analyst, HealthCareCAN at schunduri@healthcarecan.ca
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HealthCareCAN and Digital Governance Standards Institute are pleased to offer a new “Cyber Resiliency in Healthcare Micro-Credential” course
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