Healthcare groups confront rising risk from lost devices and insecure IoT

Mobile and shared devices such as smartphones, tablets, patient monitors and infusion pumps have become essential to modern healthcare delivery. Their rapid proliferation has outpaced the systems that track them, leading to routine loss or misplacement of equipment. Lost devices can expose protected health information, disrupt clinical workflows, increase staffing costs and create compliance pressure under HIPAA.

The same proliferation extends to network‑connected medical equipment, which is vulnerable to cyber threats and requires comprehensive security measures. Experts stress the need for accurate discovery of all connected devices, automated policy enforcement and a zero‑trust approach to protect patient data and maintain device reliability. Implementing robust asset‑management and IoT‑security programs is presented as the practical solution to prevent data breaches, workflow interruptions, and unnecessary equipment purchases.