Health care organizations will now be required to report any cyberattacks to the Department of Homeland Security, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, the District of Columbia, and New York. 

• California: Google Health last week at the HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) Conference announced plans to integrate its Care Studio clinical software into Meditech's EHR system. Google's Care Studio works alongside EHRs to enhance existing workflows and help clinicians find critical patient information. "To best support clinicians, we need to fit into the way they work now," said Paul Muret, VP and general manager of Google Health's Care Studio team. "Collaborations with EHRs, like Meditech, will help us seamlessly integrate Google Health tools into existing clinical workflows, so we can help remove friction for clinicians." (Muret, Google Health, 3/15; Cohen, Modern Healthcare, 3/15)

• District of Columbia: President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a new law that requires health care organizations to report any cyberattacks to the Department of Homeland Security. Under the new law, organizations in "critical sectors" that are considered vital to the economy, public health, and safety of the United States, will be required to disclose any ransomware or hacks to the government within 72 hours of discovery and 24 hours of ransom payment. According to Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the bill will give, "the data and visibility we need to help better protect critical infrastructure and businesses across the country from the devastating effects of cyberattacks." (Gonzalez, Becker's Hospital Review, 3/17)

• New York: After postponing the enforcement of the Covid-19 booster requirement for health care workers, the New York Public Health and Health Planning Council on Thursday decided not to require booster shots for health care workers. In addition, the council extended the original vaccination requirement for health care workers that has been in effect since 2021. The booster mandate, which was initially scheduled to take effect Feb. 21, was postponed on Feb. 18 so the state could reassess "whether additional steps need to be taken to increase booster rates among the healthcare workforce," according to a Feb. 18 news release. As of March 17, the state reported that hospital workers and long-term care staff had achieved a vaccine series of 98% and 99%, respectively. (Gooch, Becker's Hospital Review, 3/18; Gooch, Becker's Hospital Review, 2/18)