Program Solves Staffing Challenge By Combining a Dedicated Team of Experts with Purpose-Built Software Tools to Identify, Prioritize, and Manage Cyber Risk Across the Enterprise on a Continuing Basis
Clearwater, the leading provider of Enterprise Cyber Risk Management and HIPAA Compliance solutions for the healthcare industry, announced today the launch of its ClearConfidence program, a cyber risk managed services solution for hospitals and health systems. The new managed services program helps hospitals and health systems develop stronger security postures and more efficiently meet compliance requirements through ongoing risk analysis, risk management and compliance assessments, ensuring they are working with current data as systems change or new ones are added to an organization’s digital ecosystem.
Hospitals and health systems were already grappling with staffing shortages prior to COVID-19, which then exacerbated the problem. In cybersecurity alone, it’s estimated that 62% of teams are understaffed and face challenges in retention alongside hiring. This poses an incredible threat to healthcare as breaches and cyberattacks can have far-reaching consequences for organizations and even patient safety.
Clearwater’s ClearConfidence managed services program is aligned to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, an industry best practice, and helps healthcare organizations gain an edge in identifying and responding to cyber risks even while faced with deficiencies in resources and expertise. The tech-enabled program features leadership and program management from healthcare cybersecurity experts, in all aspects of cyber risk management including, framing, analysis, response, and monitoring.
“Healthcare continues to face incredible staffing challenges, including non-clinical positions, like cybersecurity and privacy,” said Clearwater CEO, Steve Cagle. “Cyber criminals are seizing the opportunity to exploit these staffing challenges. Hospitals and health systems need to assess and respond to risk on an ongoing basis, because their environment is constantly changing. Healthcare providers must remain diligent in performing ongoing risk management as they add new software applications and devices. With ClearConfidence, we’re stepping in to fill the gaps and help customers answer the call for better protection against cyberattacks and breaches with the expertise and software to assess risks, and subsequently ensure investments are optimized to minimize enterprise cyber risk.”
ClearConfidence includes ongoing consulting services, on-demand access to cybersecurity risk experts, and purpose-built IRM|Pro® software to help healthcare organizations keep up with rapidly evolving cyber threats and maintain HIPAA compliance. ClearConfidence also helps healthcare organizations meet Promoting Interoperability Risk Analysis Requirements, OCR’s Final Guidance for Performing Risk Analysis, and HIPAA requirements for risk response and risk management. Additionally, the program can include services to satisfy the HIPAA Security Rule’s non-technical and technical evaluation requirements.
Traditionally healthcare organizations have performed high-level, point-in-time risk assessments; however, this approach can be outdated and insufficient for hospitals and health systems that have rapidly changing digital environments, and where vulnerabilities and risks are changing constantly. Additionally, the traditional approach puts stress and strain on already overburdened and limited cybersecurity and IT resources.
Clearwater’s ClearConfidence program addresses these challenges through a combination of people, processes and technology, that are engaged on an ongoing basis. As a result, the risk analysis provides more meaningful, actionable and current cybersecurity risk data, and risk mitigation plans are actively managed. Security leaders are confident that they know-and are appropriately responding to-key risks and they can get more accomplished with less of a burden on their internal resources.
“The ClearConfidence program from Clearwater has helped us create a continuous and ongoing approach to enterprise cyber risk management,” said Jackie Mattingly, CISO for Owensboro Health and a Clearwater customer. “It’s helped us establish organizational buy-in for our policies and standards and eliminated the panic and hustle to meet an annual risk analysis deadline. At the end of the day, it means we operate out of a different level of confidence that our systems and data are secured and protected.”
To learn more visit www.clearwatercompliance.com/ClearConfidence
About Clearwater
Clearwater is the leading provider of cybersecurity, risk management, and HIPAA compliance software, consulting, and managed services for the healthcare industry. Our solutions enable organizations to avoid preventable breaches, protect patients and their data, meet regulatory requirements, and optimize cybersecurity investments. More than 400 healthcare organizations, including 70 of the nation’s largest health systems and a large universe of physician groups and digital health companies, trust Clearwater to meet their cybersecurity and compliance needs. For more information about Clearwater, please visit www.clearwatercompliance.com.