ACS Bulletin article on the disastrous consequences of cyberattacks on small surgical practices
A cyberattack on any healthcare organization can be damaging, but for a small surgical practice it can have disastrous consequences. The April 2025 issue of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons includes an article by Joint Commission Board Member Lenworth M. Jacobs, Jr., MD, MPD, FACS.
Dr. Jacobs writes of a billing-related hack experienced by a small surgery practice in February 2024, when cyber criminals unleashed a ransomware attack on the medical billing company used by the practice. “All it takes is one disruption to threaten everything that a small practice has developed over decades,” writes Dr. Jacobs.
The article provides advice for small surgical practices from John Riggi, national advisor for cybersecurity and risk for the American Hospital Association (AHA). In 2023, Riggi helped The Joint Commission develop “Sentinel Event Alert 67: Preserving patient safety after a cyberattack” to provide guidance and safety actions for healthcare organizations.
Read the article, "Disastrous Consequences Result from Medical Billing Cyberattack on Small Practice".