Staying abreast of the latest in health care cybersecurity, Texas Medical Association staff attended a regional meeting of a nationwide coalition this month, where current technology recommendations reflected TMA’s ongoing education and resources around cyber safety and augmented intelligence (AI).
“The event reiterated what TMA has been saying for a long time,” said Shannon Vogel, TMA’s associate vice president of health information technology (HIT). “Train your staff, practice cyber hygiene, and conduct a security risk analysis.”
The visit meets emerging trends in Texas, as 19% of physicians reported that their practice experienced a cybersecurity attack in the past two years – up from 11% in 2023 – according to TMA’s 2025 biennial HIT survey.
The Health Sector Coordinating Council Joint Cybersecurity Working Group All-Hands Across America meeting shared information about major cybersecurity issues in the health sector and what organizations like TMA can do to reduce cyber harm to physician practices. The group is an industry-led advisory council of more than 450 health care organizations, including the American Medical Association, that develops and publishes free health care cybersecurity best practices, policy recommendations, and programs emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity in patient safety.
The All-Hands meetings featured a virtual national meeting and 13 smaller, in-person regional meetings that addressed common cybersecurity best practices, and other topics like:
- Health care cybersecurity policy;
- The role AI plays in technology and cybersecurity practices;
- Current emerging threats and opportunities in cybersecurity, presented by health care cyber leaders; and
- Resources to help health care organizations with their cybersecurity capacity and maturity.
Many of the event’s key points on cybersecurity and AI reflected longstanding TMA policy and guidance, TMA’s Vice President of Technology and Administrative Services Alan Atwood told Texas Medicine Today. The association's policy on AI, for example, outlines that the technology should be used as an augmented tool set with physicians at the lead, rather than artificial intelligence-based tools, which use data sets to drive their decisions.
Likewise, the All-Hands meeting emphasized the importance of quarterly staff trainings to mitigate common cyber threats, like “phishing” and ransomware scams. Often the first line of defense against cyberattacks, practice staff play a critical role in safeguarding sensitive patient information, Ms. Vogel says.
TMA’s Education Center offers members free CME on HIPAA training for medical office staff and information on how practices can comply with HIPPA Security Rule and Texas data security laws.
For cybersecurity resources, training, and more, visit TMA’s Ransomware and Cybersecurity Resource Center.
Alisa Pierce
Reporter, Division of Communications and Marketing
(512) 370-1469