Tri-City Sun

A federal advisory committee, including the Office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, recently presented suggestions on how to control illegal robocalls that disrupt hospital communications to the Federal Communication Commission, according to a Dec. 29 press release from the Department of Attorney General. 

A Dec. 14 report from the Hospital Robocall Protection Group (HRPG) to the FCC outlined how hospitals, federal and state governments, and the telecom industry can all work to prevent these disruptive communications, which can range from phishing schemes, to targeted social engineering, to denial-of-service attacks. Consequences of these illegal calls can be threats to patient privacy, unauthorized access to prescription drugs and diversion of critical hospital resources.  

An assistant attorney general from Nessel's office was appointed to the HRPG in July. 

“Under my administration, Michigan has been a national leader in responding to illegal robocalls and I am proud of the role my office has had in creating best-practices guidelines for hospitals, governments and voice service providers. These guidelines will strengthen the protection for hospitals from robocalls that interfere with their operations,” Nessel said in the release. “I am committed to keeping Michigan at the forefront as our nation continues to develop appropriate measures and protocols to fight this persistent issue.” 

View a full copy of the HRPG report here.