85% of Healthcare Practices Experienced a Third-Party Vendor Disruption in the Past Year, Omega Systems Report Finds

Most healthcare leaders remain confident in their vendor security despite limited visibility into third-party ecosystems and risks to patient safety

READING, Pa., June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Omega Systems, a leading provider of managed IT and security services to the healthcare and financial services industries, today released new research revealing that 85% of healthcare practices experienced at least one operational disruption caused by a third-party or "vendor-of-a-vendor" failure in the past 12 months. Yet, 70% of leaders say they are confident in their vendors' cybersecurity posture.

The report also found a significant visibility gap behind that confidence: 63% of practices do not continuously monitor their digital supply chains. That gap shows up most clearly when something goes wrong. If a healthcare practice's EMR goes down due to a cyberattack, the most likely outcomes are billing and scheduling stopping instantly and freezing cash flow (53%), loss of access to patient histories and medication lists creating malpractice liabilities (47%), and temporary or permanent practice closure (25%).

"The biggest mistake a healthcare practice can make today is assuming vendors in their supply chain are handling security, so they don't have to," said Mike Fuhrman, CEO of Omega Systems. "Attackers are more sophisticated, vendor networks are more complex, and regulatory requirements are stricter than ever. Practices cannot lean on the outdated mindset that cybersecurity and compliance are merely a back-office problem. It is table stakes to ensure patient safety, deliver consistent care, and keep revenue flowing."

Omega Systems' full report – Under Pressure: The 2026 Healthcare IT Landscape Report – also found:

• 61% expect a fatal cyberattack within five years. Yet most (62%) still treat cybersecurity and compliance as a technical line item rather than a patient-safety priority.
• More than 8 in 10 practices have gaps in their recovery plans. Nearly a third (31%) are still running on legacy systems that can't contain a breach quickly once it starts.
• 93% of practices are already using AI in patient-facing and administrative workflows – often without the oversight in place to confirm those tools meet emerging security and compliance standards.
• 66% of practices say AI-driven scheduling gains of just two extra patients per day could mean $5,000-$20,000 in additional monthly revenue. For many healthcare organizations, that's a meaningful incentive to adopt AI tools faster than governance can keep pace.
• 6 in 10 leaders have self-attested to HIPAA compliance despite known, unpatched vulnerabilities – and with the proposed 2026 HIPAA Security Rule on the horizon, 76% of practices say they aren't ready.

Fifty-two percent of practices have no managed security service provider (MSSP), and 39% manage cybersecurity entirely in-house. Thirty-five percent say this leaves their teams understaffed, and 23% describe their technology as antiquated. Practices that do partner with an MSSP report better access to capabilities such as managed threat detection and response (42%) and next-gen firewalls (35%).

"This data tells a governance story as much as a security one," added Fuhrman. "The practices that come out ahead won't be the ones that buy more tools or hire more staff. They'll be the ones where leadership decides that cybersecurity, compliance, vendor risk, and AI need to be managed together, with the right resources and outside support in place."

To download the full Under Pressure: 2026 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, visit https://omegasystemscorp.com/insights/white-papers/2026-healthcare-it-landscape-report/

About Omega Systems
As a multi-award-winning MSP and MSSP, Omega Systems is passionate about delivering the security and compliance expertise today's businesses need alongside the responsive and reliable managed IT support they deserve. The company services highly regulated and security-conscious organizations across the U.S., including those in financial services, healthcare and professional services. Omega's service-driven IT solutions portfolio includes 24×7 managed IT support, cybersecurity risk management, threat detection and response, backup and disaster recovery, multi-cloud connectivity, and much more. Learn more at www.omegasystemscorp.com.

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SOURCE Omega Systems / Corporate Ink