Cyberattacks on healthcare are increasing, and the damage no longer stops at IT.
Ransomware, data breaches, and third-party compromises are delaying care, disrupting billing, and placing operational pressure on clinical teams. When healthcare systems go down, the impact extends far beyond technology. It affects patient flow, communication, staffing, revenue cycles, and clinical operations across the organization.
The Operational Reality
In May 2024, Ascension Health was hit by a ransomware attack that forced clinical teams across multiple facilities to revert to paper charting after losing access to electronic health records1. Services slowed across the system, and operational disruption continued for weeks.
Earlier that year, the Change Healthcare attack disrupted claims processing and payment infrastructure nationwide2. Hospitals and providers struggled with billing, insurance verification, and cash flow as critical administrative functions stalled.
These incidents exposed a broader reality:
When healthcare systems are disrupted, operational continuity becomes the real challenge.
According to the FBI 2025 Internet Crime Report healthcare reported 642 cybercrime incidents, more than any other critical infrastructure sector3. When systems go down at that scale, surgeries get rescheduled, emergency departments divert, and billing stalls. These are more than security events.
Why Healthcare Keeps Getting Targeted
- High-value data: Patient records combine identity, financial, and medical information.
- No downtime tolerance: Hospitals can’t stop operating, care must continue.
- Complex environments: Legacy systems, modern applications, and connected devices coexist with uneven security controls.
- Heavy vendor reliance: Over 80% of stolen healthcare records come from third-party vendors and business associates (AHA Cyber Intel 2025)4.
- Limited resources: Many organizations are still catching up on cybersecurity staffing.
The Real Cost Isn’t the Ransom
The Gap Most Organizations Don’t Address
- How do teams coordinate in real time?
- How do clinicians know what procedures to follow?
- How is information shared across departments?
- Who owns the decision-making?
Where Veoci Fits
- Track incidents in a centralized system
- Coordinate across clinical, IT, and leadership teams
- Activate predefined workflows and response plans
- Maintain real-time visibility into status and actions
- Capture decisions and outcomes for follow-up and reporting
Contact us for a demo.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fredric Laurentine leads Veoci’s healthcare vertical, helping hospitals and IDNs strengthen emergency management, continuity, and real-time operational coordination.