Health systems learn lessons from CrowdStrike global IT outage

Editor's Note

Hospitals and health systems have largely returned to normal operations in the wake of a global IT outage caused by a faulty update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, according to a July 29 article in Becker’s Health IT.

The outage, which began July 18, resulted in many health systems' computers with Microsoft Windows starting up with blank screens. A July 19 fix enabled most health systems to restore functionality over the weekend. Now, CIOs are focused on preventing future incidents by diversifying their technology platforms and enhancing backup capabilities, Becker’s reports.

Among other recommendations, leaders quoted in the article emphasized the need to avoid over-reliance on a single vendor, to introduce redundancy to ensure continuous patient care, and to mitigate risks by staggering deployments. CrowdStrike responded with plans to implement staggered deployment for future updates. This approach aims to collect feedback and guide phased rollouts to avoid similar disruptions.

Although most workstations have been repaired, the full impact of the outage on hospitals may not be known for weeks, Becker's reports. In a separate article published July 26, the outlet reported that total healthcare industry losses from the IT outage are estimated to reach $1.9 billion.