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Joint Commission and American Hospital Association Partner on New Cyber Resilience Readiness Program for Healthcare Organizations
Self-assessment tool available now with more to come to help health systems and hospitals sustain safe, quality patient care during cyber disruptions
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, May 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Joint Commission and the American Hospital Association (AHA) today announced the launch of Cyber Resilience Readiness (CRR), a first-of-its-kind program designed to help hospitals and health systems assess and strengthen their ability to sustain safe clinical operations during cyber-related technology outages.
Natural disasters, ransomware attacks, and other cyber incidents are increasingly threatening hospitals and health systems. Just consider that, according to the FBI’s most recent Internet Crime Report, healthcare and public health were the most frequently targeted sectors for cyberthreats in 2025, with a total of 642 incidents, including 460 ransomware attacks and 182 data breaches. Outages – whether caused by these types of “bad actors”, extreme weather, or otherwise – often result in prolonged periods of “digital darkness.” CRR focuses squarely on clinical continuity, ensuring that patient care can continue safely and effectively even when mission-critical technologies are unavailable.
“Digital disruption poses a direct and growing threat to patient safety and clinical care,” said Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Joint Commission. “As cyber criminals become increasingly sophisticated, advanced, and creative, so too must our efforts to thwart the risks – but we are not talking about cyberattacks alone. It is about how to continue operations under any scenario where technology systems might be down for any period of time. Hospitals and healthcare organizations need practical tools to evaluate and strengthen their approach to withstanding these incidents. The new Cyber Resilience Readiness program is designed to help healthcare organizations focus on what matters most: maintaining safe, quality patient care and clinical operations at all times.”
Developed collaboratively by Joint Commission, AHA, and in partnership with several healthcare organizations over the past 18 months, CRR complements traditional cybersecurity approaches by emphasizing real-world operational readiness and patient safety impacts, rather than IT recovery alone. The program was informed by lessons from actual ransomware and cyber events that have affected hospitals nationwide. The goal is to help hospitals and health systems move from awareness to readiness, and from readiness to resilience, ultimately enabling organizations to move beyond assessment to practical, operational improvement.
“A cyberattack against a hospital which disrupts, or delays patient care is more than a data crime; it is a threat to life crime,” said John Riggi, National Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk at AHA. “The CRR program focuses squarely on clinical continuity—ensuring that high quality patient care can continue safely and effectively even when mission‑critical technologies are unavailable.”
At the center of the CRR program is a structured, free-to-complete self-assessment tool that is available now. The self-assessment tool helps organizations evaluate their current ability to maintain safe care during cyber‑related technology outages, with a focus on clinical workflows, operational response, leadership coordination, and staff preparedness during extended technology outages.
Organizations may use the self-assessment to become familiar with the questions to ask themselves and what to prepare for or, for a fee, submit it for expert review. At this time, the expert review will include topline recommendations for how they may address any vulnerabilities identified. In the coming weeks, organizations that use the self-assessment and submit it for expert review will also have the opportunity to purchase additional advisory services offered by AHA and Joint Commission.
In addition to the self-assessment tool and advisory services, Joint Commission will ultimately develop a new certification pathway that will recognize organizations demonstrating strong clinical continuity and cyber resilience capabilities. The AHA will not be involved in the certification process.
Created for healthcare organizations of all sizes, CRR is flexible and modular. Organizations can choose to engage whatever components meet their needs. Participation in CRR is voluntary. For more information about CRR and to access the self-assessment, visit https://jointcommission.org/en-us/certification/cyber-resilience-readiness.
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About Joint Commission
Joint Commission enables and affirms the highest standards of healthcare quality and patient safety for all. Founded in 1951, it is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare, evaluating more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs across the United States. As an independent, nonprofit organization, Joint Commission inspires healthcare organizations across all settings to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.
Learn more at www.jointcommission.org.
About the AHA
The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.
Zachary Brousseau Joint Commission (202) 478-9326 press@jointcommission.org
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