Will Your Pharmacy Be Open When You Get There?
It’s just a matter of time before a cyberattack takes down our entire medical infrastructure, and won’t be coming back anytime soon.
There has been a significant increase in cyberattacks on the healthcare sector in the U.S. over the past two years (2022 and 2023).
According to a Ponemon Institute report, 88% of surveyed healthcare organizations experienced at least one cyberattack in the past year (2023).
- In 2023, there were 258 ransomware attacks on U.S. healthcare organizations, compared to 113 in 2022, representing a 128% increase.
- The survey also revealed that over the past 2 years,64% experienced a supply chain attack, with 77% of those attacks impacting patient care. (1)
- As our prescription and over-the-counter drugs continue to be increasingly imported from China (imports have increased by 89% from 2011 to 2021), we are also experiencing cyberattacks that could collapse an entire economy.
Cyberattacks on multiple fronts
On May 8, the 140-hospital system, Ascension Healthcare, suffered a cyberattack that lasted two weeks (and they are still recovering from it) and locked providers out of patient charts, medication errors occurred, resulting in massive delays in laboratory tests, along with nurses and healthcare providers resorting to paper charting. Patients were instructed to bring in their own list of medications, health history, and diagnosis to their scheduled office visits.
Earlier in the year, Change Healthcare, which handles a third of all the nation’s billing and payment systems, suffered a cyberattack. This resulted in patients being unable to fill their prescriptions through health insurance. Many were forced to pay out of pocket, resulting in patients paying hundreds of dollars for their medications.
This is just the beginning
You may think you are prepared. You have topped off your gas tank, and have food and water stored. But a simple paper cut leading to infection could cost you your life if you don’t have lifesaving antibiotics stored.
A Cyberattack on our drug supply and supported infrastructure could result in:
Inability to obtain Lifesaving medications due to:
- Supply chain disruptions lead to drug and medical supply shortages in the long term. Trucking and shipping have recently been hit by major cyberattacks, crippling their ability to deliver goods.
- Which can lead to your pharmacy being out of stock of potentially lifesaving antibiotics and antivirals.
- The inability of the pharmacy to access your prescription drug profile, allergies, and interactions with prescriptions, especially concerning when dealing with prescription antibiotics.
A protracted cyberattack on our healthcare system is just a matter of time. No matter who the bad actors are in this, you will be the victim- unless you prepare.
Stock up NOW
We make it as easy as 1,2,3
- Our Medical Emergency Kit Treats 30-plus medical conditions
Medications include:
- Four antibiotics: Generic Bactrim, Doxycycline, Azithromycin, and Augmentin. These four antibiotics cover a wide variety of infections, from UTIs, strep, tick-borne diseases, atypical pneumonia, bioterror exposure to Anthrax and plague, and more.
- Antifungals to treat yeast infections, thrush
- Antiparasitic- treat lice, scabies, worm infections
- Anti-nausea and vomiting medication
This comprehensive kit contains what you need for minor injuries, insect bites, and more. The optional generic EpiPen can prove a lifesaver in the event of an allergic reaction in the event medical care is unavailable.
Supplies and medications to treat:
- Lacerations
- Burns
- Antibiotics for skin and respiratory tract infections
- Topical antibiotics
- Oral pain relief gel
- Dental wax
- Instant glucose powder for hypoglycemic episodes (can be life-threatening)
- Medical supplies- tourniquet, eye wash bottle, bandages, gauze pads, liquid skin glue, ice compress, sterile-strips
This must-have kit includes lifesaving medications and supplies that include:
- Antivirals – To treat avian influenza, Covid, lice and more
- Antibiotics with antiviral properties that can treat pneumonia, inner ear infections, and more
- An antimalarial agent that has a proven track record of combating viral infection
- Inhaled corticosteroid with nebulizer to provide respiratory relief from COPD, and bronchitis, and proven to impair viral replication.
References
- (n.d.). 2023 Ponemon healthcare cybersecurity report. Retrieved from https://www.proofpoint.com/us/resources/threat-reports/ponemon-healthcare-cybersecurity-report
Written By Brooke Lounsbury
