KLAS and Censinet Partner to Reduce Cybersecurity Risk for Healthcare CISOs, CIOs and IT Vendor Community
Post Summary
The partnership aims to improve healthcare cybersecurity by providing tools like the Cybersecurity Readiness Assessment, enabling healthcare leaders to reduce risk, enhance cyber readiness, and make informed security investments.
It is a tool developed by KLAS and Censinet to help healthcare organizations quickly assess the cybersecurity risks of IT vendors and services, reducing the time and resources typically required for such evaluations.
Providers gain confidence in making faster, informed decisions about vendor security, while vendors can showcase their cybersecurity transparency and preparedness to healthcare organizations.
The rise of digital health, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has expanded the attack surface for cybercriminals, making robust cybersecurity essential to protect patient data, care, and safety.
Vendors can join by attending one of the scheduled webinars hosted by KLAS and Censinet, where they will receive links to the assessment. Participation is free and does not require a KLAS membership.
Partnership Provides Healthcare Decision Makers with A Catalyst to Improve Cyber Readiness, Reduce Risk and Make More Informed Security Investments
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH AND BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – December 1, 2020 – KLAS, a healthcare research and insights firm, and Censinet, the leading intelligent risk network for healthcare, today announced a partnership to help healthcare IT vendors and services firms improve their overall risk and security profile and provide greater transparency to thousands of healthcare providers. As part of the partnership, KLAS, which has conducted deep research and analysis on more than 900 healthcare IT products and services, will introduce a new Cybersecurity Readiness Assessment.
The partnership will also include collaborative research, insight sharing, special report access, and cybersecurity best practices, arming healthcare decision makers with vital information to improve their cybersecurity posture and ultimately, foster a more secure and productive healthcare ecosystem.
“More than ever, providers and payers rely on vendors to deliver highly secure and resilient products and services,” says Adam Gale, President of KLAS. “Our partnership with Censinet will enable KLAS-rated vendors to communicate a level of security transparency and confidence to providers and payers with better decision making.”
While the massive undertaking to implement electronic health records over the past decade has spurred an era of digital health innovation, it has also greatly expanded the attack surface for cyber criminals to target healthcare organizations. And now, the COVID-19 pandemic has both increased reliance on digital health and given attackers even more incentive to target providers, payers and others in the healthcare industry.
The new Cybersecurity Readiness Assessment developed through the KLAS and Censinet partnership aims to help healthcare leaders uncover risks in IT vendor and services solutions. Instead of the months-long and resource-intensive process typically required to assess security concerns of new healthcare technology, these new ratings immediately give providers the confidence they need to make decisions quickly. Technology that has not yet been assessed can be vetted in as little as 10 days.
“Censinet and KLAS share a common vision that arming providers and their vendors with the right tools, insight, best practices and education is the best way to reduce risks to patient data, care and safety,” said Ed Gaudet, CEO and founder of Censinet. “We’re excited about working with KLAS and continuing to advance our mutual mission of creating a secure and efficient healthcare ecosystem.”
KLAS and Censinet are hosting a series of healthcare vendor webinars describing the process and benefits of participation over the coming weeks. All vendors and service firms that KLAS currently measures will have the opportunity to report on their cybersecurity preparedness. After engaging in a webinar, links to assessments will be provided to participating vendors. Participation does not require a membership to KLAS and is offered to vendors at no cost.
To participate, sign up to listen in on one of the below webinars:
- Dec. 2 at 3:00 p.m. EST: https://events.klasresearch.com/CensinetWebinar2
- Dec. 7 at 1:00 p.m. EST: https://events.klasresearch.com/CensinetWebinar3
- Dec. 16 at 4:00 p.m. EST: https://events.klasresearch.com/CensinetWebinar4
- Jan. 8 at 11:00 a.m. EST: https://events.klasresearch.com/CensinetWebinar5
Additional information on the partnership can also be found here: www.censinet.com/klas
About KLAS
KLAS has been providing accurate, honest, and impartial insights for the healthcare IT (HIT) industry since 1996. The KLAS mission is to improve the world’s healthcare by amplifying the voice of providers and payers. The scope of our research is constantly expanding to best fit market needs as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated. KLAS finds the hard-to-get HIT data by building strong relationships with our payer and provider friends in the industry. Learn more at klasresearch.com.
About Censinet
Censinet provides the first and only third-party risk management platform built by and for healthcare organizations to manage the threats to patient care that exist within an expanding ecosystem of vendors. With its unique Censinet One-click AssessmentTM capabilities and Digital Vendor CatalogTM, the Censinet Platform reduces the time to assess vendor risk from weeks to seconds, while automating inefficient workflows and providing continuous real-time insights into the changing risk profile of each vendor. Censinet is based in Boston, MA and can be found at https://censinet.com/
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Media Contact for KLAS
Joshua Schneck
For KLAS
(801) 404-5427
josh@snowcommunications.com
Media Contact for Censinet
Mike Reilly
fama PR for Censinet
(617) 986-5008
mike@famapr.com
Key Points:
What is the KLAS and Censinet partnership, and why is it significant?
- Partnership between KLAS, a leading healthcare research firm, and Censinet, an intelligent risk network for healthcare.
- Aims to enhance cybersecurity in healthcare by improving cyber readiness and reducing risks.
- Provides healthcare leaders with tools, insights, and best practices to make informed security investments.
- Addresses growing security challenges as digital health expands and cyber threats increase.
What is the Cybersecurity Readiness Assessment, and how does it work?
- A tool developed by KLAS and Censinet to evaluate cybersecurity risks of IT vendors and services.
- Streamlines the traditionally resource-intensive process of assessing vendor cybersecurity.
- Offers immediate ratings for healthcare providers to make faster and more confident decisions.
- Vendors not yet assessed can complete the process in as little as 10 days.
How does the partnership benefit healthcare providers and IT vendors?
For healthcare providers:
- Reduces the time and effort required to assess vendor cybersecurity risks.
- Enables faster decision-making to ensure patient data and care remain secure.
- Provides confidence in selecting secure IT solutions.
For IT vendors:
- Demonstrates cybersecurity transparency and preparedness to healthcare organizations.
- Builds trust with providers and payers by showcasing robust security practices.
- Improves vendor marketability within the healthcare industry.
Why is cybersecurity a critical issue in healthcare today?
- Healthcare organizations are prime targets for cybercriminals due to sensitive patient data.
- The rise in digital health technologies has expanded the attack surface for threats.
- The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital health, increasing vulnerabilities.
- Robust cybersecurity measures are essential to protect patient data, care delivery, and trust in the healthcare system.
What additional resources and opportunities does the partnership offer?
- Collaborative research and insight sharing to address cybersecurity challenges.
- Access to special reports and cybersecurity best practices for healthcare leaders.
- A series of webinars educating vendors about the Cybersecurity Readiness Assessment process.
- Tools and resources provided to vendors at no cost, with no requirement for KLAS membership.
How can vendors participate in the Cybersecurity Readiness Assessment?
- Vendors can attend one of the scheduled webinars hosted by KLAS and Censinet.
- Webinars provide an overview of the assessment process and its benefits.
- Links to the assessment are provided during the webinars.
- Participation is free and open to all vendors, even those without a KLAS membership.
What is the ultimate goal of the KLAS and Censinet partnership?
- To create a more secure and efficient healthcare ecosystem.
- Equip healthcare providers and vendors with tools, insights, and best practices to reduce cybersecurity risks.
- Foster transparency and collaboration between providers and vendors.
- Strengthen the overall cybersecurity posture of the healthcare industry to better protect patient data and care delivery.
