AUGUSTA, Ga., Aug. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Cyber Resiliency Center (CRC), part of the Georgia Cyber Center at Augusta University, announced a strategic alignment of its rural healthcare cybersecurity and resilience initiatives with the Georgia Department of Community Health and Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program objectives established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This alignment strengthens Georgia’s ability, and establishes a scalable model for other states, to modernize rural healthcare delivery while safeguarding patient data, sustaining access to care, and accelerating innovation.

Advancing CMS RHT Strategic Goals

The CRC, in collaboration with partners including CrowdStrike for endpoint protection and HITRUST for independently validated cybersecurity certification, supports evidence-based, outcomes-driven care by protecting the digital backbone of preventative and chronic disease programs.

Secure telehealth, protected electronic health records, and resilient clinical systems allow rural providers to expand access to behavioral health, prenatal care, and chronic disease management without compromising patient safety or privacy.

Sustainable Access to Care

Cyber resilience is foundational to long-term access. The CRC helps rural providers advance regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA), which is also validated through its HITRUST partnership.

The CRC works with participating hospitals to implement and validate comprehensive security controls aligned with recognized industry standards, culminating in HITRUST certification – widely recognized as the gold standard for information security assurance in healthcare.

By reducing cyber risk and downtime, CRC enables rural facilities to remain reliable access points for primary, specialty, and emergency care. The program establishes a consistent, independently validated security baseline across participating rural hospitals, reducing duplicative assessments, increasing trust with payers and partners, and strengthening statewide cyber resilience.

Workforce Development

CRC strengthens the rural healthcare workforce by integrating cybersecurity training and operational resilience into clinical and administrative roles. This approach helps providers practice at the top of their license, reduces burnout caused by system disruptions, and creates new pathways for community health workers and IT-enabled care navigators to support patients safely.

Innovative Care Models

As CMS encourages value-based care and flexible payment models, CRC ensures the security and reliability of the digital infrastructure that underpins Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), remote monitoring, and coordinated care networks.

Through HITRUST certification, participating organizations demonstrate the effective implementation and validation of security controls that support secure data exchange and trusted collaboration across care networks.

Secure systems enable providers to reduce costs, improve quality, and shift care to lower-cost, community-based settings.

Technology Innovation and Cybersecurity

The CRC directly advances the RHT Program’s technology innovation goal by strengthening cybersecurity governance, control implementation, and independent validation of cybersecurity safeguards, improving data sharing, and supporting secure remote care.

Through assessments, managed security services, virtual CISO support, and structured preparation for HITRUST certification, the CRC helps rural facilities adopt emerging technologies with confidence that patient data and clinical operations are protected and independently validated.

A Scalable, Statewide Impact

“Cybersecurity is no longer an IT issue. It’s a patient safety and access-to-care issue,” said Dr. John McLain, Director of the CRC. “By aligning with CMS’s Rural Health Transformation goals, we are helping Georgia build resilient, future-ready rural healthcare systems that can innovate, collaborate, and thrive.”

By implementing HITRUST certifications across participating rural hospitals, Georgia is establishing a replicable framework for elevating cybersecurity maturity statewide—creating a model that other states can adopt to strengthen rural healthcare infrastructure at scale.

The CRC’s approach is designed to be scalable and affordable, enabling Georgia and others to deploy consistent, affordable, high-impact cybersecurity and resilience services across rural hospitals, clinics, and community providers, supporting CMS’s vision for healthier rural communities nationwide.

About the Cyber Resiliency Center

The Cyber Resiliency Center at the Georgia Cyber Center at Augusta University (CRC) is an innovative and transformative initiative led by top-tier cyber professionals who partner with prominent public and private stakeholders and leverage their talented university student population to strengthen the cybersecurity, operational resilience, and digital trust of critical infrastructure sectors. With a focused mission to support rural healthcare providers through secure, sustainable, and innovative care delivery models, the CRC is helping create a culture of cybersecurity within their organizations and enabling validated assurance through programs such as HITRUST certification.

Marc Solomon
Chief Marketing Officer
Marc.Solomon@hitrustalliance.net

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SOURCE HITRUST Services LLC