MITA rolls out new standard to help radiologists cyber-safeguard devices
The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) is giving radiologists an assist in efforts to address device-related cybersecurity concerns at their practices.
The trade group published a voluntary new standard on Wednesday, Oct. 9, which it said is aimed at helping providers maintain the security of their imaging devices. That includes a new form for manufacturers to fill out that more clearly spells out the security features included within each medical device.
“MITA recognizes that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility among all involved market participants, and it requires health delivery organizations especially to work collaboratively with manufacturers to ensure the use of best practices,” Dennis Durmis, senior VP of Bayer Radiology, Americas Region, and chairman of MITA’s Board of Directors, said in a statement. “With this standard, we aim to streamline communication and increase transparency of information between” the two parties, he added.
MITA developed the standard alongside several other radiology stakeholders. The 39-page document also defines manufacturers’ and providers’ roles in ensuring device security. It builds upon an FDA playbook released last year, which maintains that everyone from hospitals to government entities all play a part in preserving device security.
The document should ease the procurement process on both sides, MITA said, by allowing manufacturers to quickly respond to large volumes of security-related information requests, and providers to more easily review mountains of information about this topic, according to the standard.
You can download the full Manufacturer Disclosure Statement for Medical Device Security here.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.