To address the rising cyberattacks on healthcare, the Joint Commission, in partnership with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and multiple healthcare organizations, has introduced the Cyber Resilience Readiness Program.

The program aims to help hospitals and health systems prepare to maintain safe clinical operations amidst technology outages caused by situations like natural disasters, ransomware attacks, server failures, and other cyber incidents.

The program focuses not just on IT recovery, but mainly on operational readiness and patient safety impacts. It is meant for all healthcare organizations, despite size. Participating organizations first complete a self-assessment of their current technology outage preparedness. Then, the organizations have the option to have an expert review their assessment. After review, they can receive custom advisory services if they choose, utilizing the Joint Commission’s and AHA’s expertise areas.

The mission of the program is to “help hospitals and health systems move from awareness to readiness, and from readiness to resilience, ultimately enabling organizations to move beyond assessment to practical, operational improvement.” Additionally, the Joint Commission is offering Cyber Resilience Readiness Certification, but participation in the self-assessment, expert review, and advisory services are not required to be eligible.