Healthcare Cybersecurity Improvement Act

The Healthcare Cybersecurity Improvement Act establishes a Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center under HHS to coordinate defense efforts across healthcare, and creates a $100 million grant program for small hospitals (under 300 beds) and rural clinics to purchase security equipment, hire IT staff, and improve infrastructure. It mandates the development of new security standards for medical devices and hospital networks by NIST, requiring Medicare/Medicaid participating hospitals to comply within two years of the standards' publication. The bill also limits liability for large hospitals (300+ beds) that provide cybersecurity assistance to smaller entities, barring lawsuits unless gross negligence or willful misconduct is proven. These provisions directly affect small healthcare providers and hospitals, aiming to address rising ransomware attacks and data breaches impacting millions of health records.