The Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) said recently it is backing passage of the proposed Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act pending action by the U.S. Senate.
The measure would mandate that the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice and the director of national intelligence share information on possible cyberthreats with private entities and state and local governments.
Also included in the bill are strong patient confidentiality measures.
HLC President Mary Grealy said the bill was important for the protection of health organizations from cyberthreats in a letter sent to Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the chair and ranking minority member respectively of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“Most importantly, this bill will reinforce the federal civilian interface to provide timely cyberthreat information," she wrote. "In times of crisis, the electronic systems supporting our health care providers must not be compromised. These systems are a relied-upon component in our nation’s first response to major crises, and are necessary to provide critical care to those most in need.”
HLC is a coalition of chief executives of major health care companies
