NIST and Remote Patient Monitoring

A while back the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) published a draft document about a project they want to do around reference architecture. This would attempt to address the security and privacy risks related to telehealth capabilities, such as remote patient monitoring (RPM) used in the home.

To address these security, privacy and safety risks related to the telehealth RPM ecosystem, the project being proposed would include a conducting a risk assessment on a representative RPM ecosystem in the laboratory environment, then applying the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and guidance based on medical device standards. The project would also focus on collaboration with industry and public partners. Out of this work then would be the creation of a reference design and a detailed description of the practical steps needed to implement a secure solution based on standards and best practices. Something that is very much needed as we continue to increase the use of virtual care technologies in our brave new world dealing with health emergencies locally, nationally and globally.