Cyberattacks Are Killing Hospitals. Here's How to Survive.

Hospitals are in the fight of their lives, and the enemy isn't just payers or reimbursement cuts anymore. It's cybercriminals.

Welcome to our September 2025 cover story where our CEO editor Jay Asser lays bare a reality many hospital leaders would rather not confront: cyberattacks are no longer something you can avoid. They are inevitable. And when—not if—your systems go down, the survival of your hospital will depend on how prepared you are to respond.

Jay doesn’t just recap the headlines. He digs into the uncomfortable controversies that industry leaders are grappling with right now:

• Should hospitals be left to fend for themselves against foreign adversaries and ransomware cartels?
• Can rural hospitals with IT teams of just five people possibly withstand the financial and operational devastation of a breach?
• Will policymakers step in with funding and privacy reforms or will communities be left to suffer when their hospital collapses under the weight of an attack?

The story makes one thing clear: this isn’t just an IT problem. It’s a clinical continuity crisis. Cyberattacks can shut down EHRs, divert ambulances, delay care, and put lives at risk. As Jay’s reporting shows, even large systems are pouring millions into backup sites, response drills, and legal protections all while still admitting they’ll never feel fully secure.

For CEOs, the question isn’t whether your organization has strong cybersecurity. It’s whether your culture, governance, and resilience strategies are strong enough to ensure that when the hackers get through, your patients still get care.

This is one of the most urgent, high-stakes cover stories we’ve published and it’s a must-read for every hospital and health system leader.

Read the full story here.