The Cerner Breach Shows Why Cybersecurity Belongs in the Revenue Cycle Plan

The Beacon reported a detailed story about the Cerner cyber breach, and it highlights a growing risk that hospitals cannot ignore. Hackers accessed Cerner’s legacy network back in January. Patients are only now being told, nearly a year later. Attorneys believe more than 80 hospitals may be involved. No one knows the full scope.

This is not a rare event. It is a preview of the 2030 environment.

Here is what stands out:

First, the breach happened in a legacy network.
That is the same weak point I warn about in RCM 2030. Many hospitals are running on a mix of old and new systems. When an EHR vendor keeps older environments connected to newer ones, a single login is all it takes to compromise millions of records. The shift to cloud does not help if the on ramps are still vulnerable.

Second, the delay in notifying hospitals shows the risk of vendor dependency.
Hospitals depend on large vendors for security, reporting, and communication. When a breach happens upstream, the provider is last to know, but the provider is the one who has to answer to patients. That is a dangerous mismatch.

Third, slow disclosure creates operational and financial risk.
The report notes that hospitals learned of the breach months after it occurred. Patients waited even longer. Late notifications leave hospitals unprepared for identity theft claims, billing disputes, eligibility issues, and damaged trust. Every one of those problems hits the revenue cycle long before it hits the news.

Fourth, this is not just a privacy failure. It is a continuity failure.
Cybersecurity in health care is not about checking a compliance box. It is about whether hospitals can protect cash flow and maintain clinical operations when systems go down. According to one expert in the article, a third of hospitals end up paying ransom in an attack because they cannot function without quick access to data.

In the 2030 landscape, when data needs to move in real time and financial processes rely heavily on automation, a breach does more than leak information. It can freeze payment, erase estimates, corrupt eligibility files, and force teams back into manual processes overnight.

Older networks are our biggest exposure point, and vendor relationships need stronger oversight. Hospitals will need a cybersecurity plan that is owned jointly by the CFO, CISO, and revenue cycle. Not a separate IT document. A shared continuity plan that protects cash, protects patients, and sets real expectations for vendor accountability.

The Cerner breach is not a story about the past. It is a preview of the future.