The nation’s healthcare facilities have had a tough year, to say the least. In the process of handling waves of cases of COVID-19, they also have had to endure lost revenue from curtailed surgeries, higher staffing costs, and higher capital costs related to facility upgrades and medical equipment purchases.

Consider the case of University Hospital in Augusta, Ga., where Chief Information Officer Shirley Gabriel says its MyChart system has averaged 550 cyberattacks a day, according to The Augusta Chronicle. Hospitals have been under increasing threat of cyber attacks for the last five years because of the wealth of information they collect. That came to a head in October when federal authorities sent an alert to all hospitals about a potential attack, she said.

That was emphasized last month with what federal authorities characterized as a credible, ongoing and persistent threat to hospital's systems, Gabriel said. As a result, University restricted email and some Internet activity until it could put some enhancements in place.

Those threats were real for Universal Health Services, the parent company of Aiken Regional Medical Centers, which endured a ransomware attack in September, followed by six hospitals and the University of Vermont, who were hit in October, she said. More recently, Greater Baltimore Medical Center was attacked, Gabriel said.

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