Addressing Cybersecurity Threats in Health Centers Addressing Cybersecurity Threats in Health Centers Maddie Bishop-Harris Monday, June 9, 2025 0 2326 HITEQ Center, June 2025 This article uses the 2020 incident at the Family Health Center of Worcester (FHCW) to explore innovative strategies to bolster health centers' cybersecurity, including leveraging group purchasing organizations (GPOs) for discounted solutions and implementing bug bounty programs to proactively strengthen systems. Ultimately, it investigates how these approaches can protect vital community health resources from the escalating tide of cyber threats. Read more
A Practical Guide on Intimate Partner Violence, Human Trafficking, and Exploitation and Technology Tools A Practical Guide on Intimate Partner Violence, Human Trafficking, and Exploitation and Technology Tools Molly Rafferty Wednesday, January 15, 2025 0 2896 HITEQ Center, January 2025 This practical guide features key tools and principles to help health centers (HCs) develop safe documentation for intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and exploitation (IPV/HT/E) in their electronic health records (EHRs) and other technology tools. In 2020, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) introduced new Uniform Data System (UDS) data elements for health centers (HCs) to report on IPV and HT/E. With the evolving landscape of data use in medical... Read more
Health Center Health IT Emergency Response Resources Health Center Health IT Emergency Response Resources Molly Rafferty Tuesday, October 22, 2024 0 5371 Updated January 2025 Ready to take the next step towards enhanced IT preparedness? The resources linked below, organized by topic, share actionable strategies that health centers can implement to move towards greater resilience. Read more
Health Center Resilience in the Face of Cyber Adversity Health Center Resilience in the Face of Cyber Adversity Molly Rafferty Wednesday, February 21, 2024 0 5804 A Case Study of the Family Health Center of Worcester’s Ransomware Incident, February 2024 The use of ransomware — malicious software that restricts access to computer systems with financial demands — has escalated, targeting health centers and putting countless lives at risk. This dire reality came to the forefront during the alarming ransomware attack on the Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. (FHCW), where the personal health information and care continuity for thousands of patients were compromised. This resource uses FHCW's experience as a case study to demonstrate the... Read more
Navigating Compliance Challenges with the Information Blocking Rule: A Collection of Case Studies Navigating Compliance Challenges with the Information Blocking Rule: A Collection of Case Studies Molly Rafferty Monday, September 25, 2023 0 9677 HITEQ Center and Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, September 2023 The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Rule (Info Blocking Rule) prohibits covered actors – including health care providers, health IT developers of certified health IT, and health information exchanges/health information networks– from engaging in practices likely to interfere with, prevent, or materially discourage access, exchange, or use of electronic health information (EHI). The Info... Read more
Health IT Emergency Response Plan Assessment Tool Health IT Emergency Response Plan Assessment Tool Health IT Emergency Response Plan Assessment Tool
Health Center Emergency Response Exercise Set Health Center Emergency Response Exercise Set Health Center Emergency Response Exercise Set
Health Center Health IT Emergency Response Resources Health Center Health IT Emergency Response Resources Health Center Health IT Emergency Response Resources