Why rural hospitals are losing the cybersecurity battle

Cyber threats are becoming more frequent and sophisticated, and rural hospitals and clinics are feeling the pressure from all sides: tight budgets, small teams, limited training, complex technology, and vendors that do not always offer much help. Often, they are left juggling security tools without the IT support to use them effectively, according to Paubox.

Compared to their urban counterparts, rural healthcare organizations are hitting more cybersecurity roadblocks, and not just in one or two areas. They are more likely to struggle with every major challenge, from outdated systems and lack of vendor support to clunky tools that get in the way of delivering care.

Many rural health systems are trying to modernize without the tools or support they need, all while continuing to care for 60 million Americans. Ransomware and phishing attacks continue to grow in both volume and complexity, yet the technology they rely on, especially email, is often falling short. In fact, 88 percent of rural healthcare leaders say they are not confident their current email platform is HIPAA compliant right out of the box.

“Cyber defense is a moving target, and one that requires significant time, energy and resources,” said Kate Pierce, CIO and CISO at North Country Hospital in Vermont.

Among the report’s key findings:

• 73% of rural healthcare orgs say they struggle to maintain HIPAA compliance due to staffing and funding gaps.
• Rural orgs trail urban ones by 22% in adopting AI-based threat detection.
• 4 out of 5 rural leaders say their infrastructure can’t support advanced email security.
• 50% say budget limitations are a top barrier to upgrading security tools, nearly double the rate of urban peers.

The report also calls attention to a key issue that often gets overlooked: what happens when security tools get in the way. According to the survey, six in ten rural providers say their current secure email platform leads to frequent complaints and slows down their workflow. More than half also report problems with mobile usability and sluggish encryption that can delay patient care.

“We can’t expect rural hospitals to meet the same compliance standards as large systems without giving them tools that fit their size and structure,” said Rick Kuawahara, Chief Compliance Officer at Paubox, “In cybersecurity, usability is security.”