The Center for Health Affairs and ecfirst Partner to Help Hospitals Navigate COVID-19 Cybersecurity, Compliance Risk

CLEVELAND, May 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Health Affairs today announced a new partnership with ecfirst, a regulatory compliance security training provider. This partnership will help Northeast Ohio hospitals navigate increased cybersecurity and compliance complexities by offering education events, certification training programs and on-demand consulting to address HITRUST, HIPAA, NIST and more.

Cybersecurity is more critical than ever in the time of COVID-19. Many organizations have made a rapid shift to remote operations to ensure adequate resources were in place to support and secure a growing remote workforce. According to a recent survey conducted by the International Informational System Security Certification Consortium "(ISC)²," 47 percent of cybersecurity workers report being taken off their typical security duties to assist with other IT-related tasks. Furthermore, 23 percent report an increase in cybersecurity incidents at their organization, with some tracking double compared to normal rates.

"As part of an ongoing effort to provide impactful COVID-19 related solutions for members and clients, The Center for Health Affairs' partnership with ecfirst will help its member hospitals navigate uncertainty and remain vigilant in their cybersecurity and compliance practices," said The Center's President and CEO Brian Lane.

Led by global cybersecurity expert and FBI InfraGard member Ali Pabrai, ecfirst is an authorized HITRUST CSF External Assessor with training and professional certification programs for HIPAA, NIST, HITRUST, CMMC, CCPA, GDPR and more. ecfirst seeks to support healthcare IT teams in transforming their cyber defense programs and mitigate the increased operational and financial risk of cybersecurity incidences.

"The Wall Street Journal recently reported that cyber criminals have adapted their ransomware tactics during the coronavirus pandemic, setting their malware to launch more quickly once inside the networks of healthcare providers. The combination of phishing and ransomware attacks, together with an increased deployment of biomed, and IoT devices, have provided additional attack surfaces to hackers," stated Ali Pabrai, CEO of ecfirst. "We are looking forward to our collaboration with The Center for Health Affairs to bring thought leadership and capabilities to ensure member hospitals and clients leverage this challenging COVID-19 moment to transform their cyber defense capabilities."

Complimentary Webinar Series on COVID-19 Cyberattacks
On June 2, 2020, from 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (EST), The Center and ecfirst are hosting their first in a series of complimentary webinars, "COVID-19 Cyberattacks Disrupt Business." You may register for this free webinar here: Complimentary COVID-19 Cybersecurity Webinar.

About The Center for Health Affairs: With a rich history as the nation's first regional hospital association, The Center for Health Affairs (www.neohospitals.org) has served as the collective voice of Northeast Ohio hospitals for more than 100 years. The Center continues the legacy of its founders, working collaboratively to increase the efficiency of healthcare delivery, providing insightful healthcare information to the public and undertaking initiatives aimed at improving the health of the community.

About ecfirst
Established in 1999, ecfirst delivers end-to-end tailored compliance and cybersecurity services across the U.S. and worldwide. Client services are focused in the areas of HITRUST, NIST, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, CMMC, and more. The industries served by ecfirst include healthcare, government, IT, financial services, legal, and education. From managed services to On-Demand Consulting, ecfirst delivers its services with complete devotion to its clients. Thought leadership and knowledge transfer are at the core of ecfirst certification credentials, including the Certified HIPAA Professional (CHP), Certified Security Compliance Specialist^TM (CSCS^TM), and the Certified Cyber Security Architect^SM (CCSA^SM) programs.

The TRACER^SM cyber portal, complimentary, from ecfirst, provides a platform for cyber and compliance risk management. ecfirst is an authorized HITRUST Authorized External Assessor. For more information, visit www.ecfirst.com.

For more information, please contact The Center's Senior Vice President of Business Operations Yolandi Myers.

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SOURCE The Center for Health Affairs