Impact of CCPA on Business The Californian Governor Jerry Brown signed the Californian Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) into law in June 2018. The CCPA has revolutionised the data privacy rights of Californian residents. CCPA offers […]
A new study by the consultancy firm Censuswide has revealed the extent to which employees are being tricked by phishing emails and how despite the danger of a data breaches and regulatory fines, many firms […]
Following the installation of ransomware and malware on a server belonging to Mind & Motion Developmental Centers of Georgia, it has been revealed that the group responsible which may have been able to access to […]
Almost 48,000 patients and guarantors may had their the payment information compromised Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Frisco in a privacy breach which was noticed recently. The medical center, which is jointly operated […]
6,450 patients of Prairie Fields Family Medicine based in Fremont, NE are being made aware that their protected health information may have been compromised after it was included in an unencrypted spreadsheet that was sent […]
The winners of the Easy EHR Issues Reporting Challenge have been announced by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). At present, reporting EHR safety […]
Cancer Centers of America’s Western Regional Medical Center, located in Bullhead City, has revealed that a staff email account has been hacked following a phishing email attack. The phishing email seems to have been broadcast […]
Georgia Spine and Orthopaedics of Atlanta (GSOA) is contacting thousands of patients to make them aware that some of their protected health information has been made accessible, and possibly stolen, due to a phishing attack. […]
AccuDoc Solutions Inc., a supplier of healthcare billing services, has discovered a major data privacy breach in which the protected health information of 2,650,000 patients of Atrium Health was accessed by hackers. Morrisville, NC-based AccuDoc Solutions […]
FHN Healthcare, which runs FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport, IL, and a group of family healthcare centers located in northwest Illinois, has discovered that a laptop computer storing the protected health information of 4,458 clients […]
Florida-based Key Dental Group has made contact with its patients about a suspected HIPAA breach which may have led to the unauthorized release of their protected health information (PHI). After amended its electronic medical record […]
In October, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revealed that the HealthCare.gov online portal had been hacked and the sensitive data of around 75,000 individuals had possibly been obtained. This week, the CMS […]
The EU introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018. Since its implementation, GDPR has changed the way that businesses handle, collect, and process consumer data. It is a landmark piece of legislation […]
Vancouver, Washington, based Southwest Washington Regional Surgery Center has been hit by a phishing attack that has lead to the exposure of 2,393 patients’ protected health information. The breach was restricted to a single staff […]
Virginia based Inova Health System has started to contact 12,331 patients to advise them that some of their protected health information has been obtained by an unauthorized person. Law enforcement contacted Inova Health System on […]
Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, NY, is getting in touch with 1,216 patients to advise them that some of their protected health information (PHI) has been impermissibly accessed by a former member of staff. Upstate […]
A $200,000 settlement has been agreed with Best Medical Transcription in relation to HIPAA breaches that were discovered during an investigation of a 2016 breach of 1,650 clients’ protected health information. Best Medical Transcription, a […]
According to the most recent Beazley’s Q3 Breach Insights Report, Cyber Criminal campaigns attacks are increasing once again and healthcare is the most targeted sector. Ransomware attacks on healthcare groups comprised 37% of those managed […]
Around 10,000 patients of Raley’s Pharmacy are being contacted to inform them that some of their protected health information (PHI) has potentially been impacted in a data breach. On September 24, 2018, a laptop computer […]
Jones Eye Clinic and its affiliated surgery center, CJ Elmwood Partners, L.P, in Sioux City, IA has revealed that the protected health information of up to 40,000 of its patients may have been compromised.The private […]
Michigan Medicine is contacting over 3,600 patients to make them aware of an impermissible disclosure of a restricted amount of their protected health information. In early September 2018, the Michigan Medicine Development Office initiated a […]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a warning about flaws in certain Medtronic implantable cardiac device programmers which could possibly be targeted by hackers to alter the functionality of the programmer during […]
HIPAA-covered organizations must take every possible precaution to ensure protected health information (PHI) sent and received by email is safeguarded both at rest and in transit in order to prevent unauthorized access to patient data. […]
Biomarin Pharmaceutical, based in Novato, CA-based has discovered two staff email accounts have been compromised due to a phishing attack in which a non-permanent employee’s login details were obtained by the hacker. The attack was […]
Letters have been mailed to approximately 21,000 individuals on medical assistance by the Minnesota Department of Human Services to alert them of a potential breach of their protected health information (PHI) due to two phishing […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) is highlighting awareness of the measures it implements to address cyberthreats within the HHS and the healthcare sector as a whole and […]
A data breach, that saw the highly sensitive protected health information of 93 lower-income HIV positive individuals stolen by unauthorized individuals, will go to trial after a lawsuit submitted by Lambda Legal on behalf of […]
It is vital for all staff members in the healthcare sector to have a firm grasp of what a HIPAA violation is and how to report one. Understanding what a HIPAA violation entails should be […]
A not-for-profit 115-bed community hospital in Ogdensburg, NY, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center has sacked several employees for accessing patient health records without official permission.The PHI breaches were identified during an internal review. It is not yet obvious […]
Uber, the peer-to-peer ridesharing, taxi cab, food delivery, bicycle-sharing and transportation network company has settled a fine in relation to a 2016 cyber-attack that exposed data from 57 million customers and drivers for $148m. The payment […]
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) is contacting 1,567 plan subscribers that a portion of their protected health information has been impermissibly made accessible by one of its business partners. A BCBSRI vendor […]
A former staff member of the emergency department of Brooklyn’s Kings County Hospital is accused of stealing the protected health information of at least 100 patients while employed there. The same person is accused of […]
The New York Attorney General has fined the Arc of Erie County $200,000 by breaching HIPAA Rules when it did not secure the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of its customers. The Arc of Erie […]
Several studies have been conducted to assess the cost of cybercrime in the United States, although there is little data on the cost of cyberattacks in Germany. That has been addressed with a recent survey […]
Honolulu-based Fetal Diagnostic Institute of the Pacific (FDIP) was hit by a ransomware attack on June 30 this year. File-encrypting software was uploaded to an FDIP server and encrypted a wide range of file types […]
Reliable Respiratory, a Norwood, MA-based respiratory care organisation has been subjected to a phishing attack that has impacted several thousand of its clients. A cyberattack was first noticed on July 3, 2018, after the detection […]
The New Mexico Department of Health is trying to ascertain how the private medical records of some of its clients came to fall from a truck while being taken from the hospital to a secure […]
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) brought in many new regulations for healthcare groups, but who polices HIPAA? Which federal departments are charged with making sure HIPAA Rules are adhered to by covered […]
A mailing mistake that was sent to Missouri Care subscribers reminding them to reserve well-child visits has resulted in the accidental disclosure of the personal data of approximately 20,000 children to other Missouri Care subscribers. […]
Authentic Recovery Center, a West Los Angeles-based drug and alcohol treatment center, is contacting 1,790 clients to inform them that some of their personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) may have been […]
Many healthcare groups have considered the Zoho Office Suite as an alternative software package to organize workflows, but can Zoho be deemed HIPAA compliant? Zoho: What is it? Based in Pleasanton, CA Zoho is developer of […]
A survey carried out by Ovum for analytics firm FICO has pointed to the fact that there has been a sharp rise in companies signing up for cybersecurity insurance, but the healthcare sector in general […]
Central Colorado Dermatology (CCD) has made contact with over 4,000 clients that some of their protected health information (PHI) has possibly been obtained by cyber criminals during a ransomware attack on its IT systems. An […]
Most HIPAA covered bodies, business associates, and healthcare workers take lots of precautions care to ensure HIPAA Rules are adhered to, but what happens when there is accidental HIPAA violation? How should healthcare workers, covered […]
InterAct of Michigan, a provider of mental health and substance abuse treatments through health centers in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, has found an unauthorized person has obtained access to the email account of a staff […]
Over 258,000 people have had their personal health information, personal identification information and/or tax information accessible online due to a data security incident in Adams County, Wisconsin. A possible security breach was discovered on March […]
A group of urgent care clinics in Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston, MedSpring Urgent Care has identified a breach that occurred when an unauthorized individual has gained access to an email account […]
Jefferson City, Missouri based SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital is contacting hundreds of thousands of patients to warn them that some of their protected health information has been left unprotected and may have have been […]
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a landmark piece of data protection legislation in the USA. What is it that makes HIPAA so significant? What reform did HIPAA bring in and what […]
A not-for-profit health system that operates Central Washington Hospital, Wenatchee Valley Hospital and a dozen satellite clinics in Central and North Central Washington, has experienced a data breach incident involving a staff member’s email account […]
A huge UnityPoint Health phishing attack has been reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) , one in which the protected health information of up to 1.4 million patients could have been obtained by […]
A mistake has resulted in the exposure of more than 19,000 patients’ protected health information (PHI) took place during a software upgrade on a server owned by a transcription service provider. Patients impacted by the […]
Does Azure comply with HIPAA? Can Microsoft’s cloud services be implemented by HIPAA covered bodies without breaching HIPAA Rules? Many healthcare groups are considering shifting some of their services to the cloud, and a large […]
A class action lawsuit submitted after a staff-member related data breach at Flowers Hospital in Dothan, Alabama in 2014 is likely to be settled. The settlement is awaiting final court approval, although approval seems imminent […]
The Federal Communication Commission has released a Declaratory Ruling and Order to clarify TCPA rules in relation to HIPAA and patient telephone calls. Some healthcare suppliers have had difficulty understanding TCPA rules in relation to […]
AK-based billing company, Golden Heart Administrative Professionals, a Fairbanks is alerting 44,600 people that some of their protected health information has potentially been obtained by unauthorized people due a recent ransomware attack. The ransomware was […]
An employee’s email account, that contained the protected health information of approximately 8,400 patients of Billings Clinic in Billings, MT has been illegally accessed. The breach was discovered by the clinic’s cybersecurity systems on May 14, 2018, […]
Software or an email application platform can never be completely HIPAA compliant, as compliance is dependent on how the software is being used rather than the software itself. However, software and email services can make […]
Cass Regional Medical Center in Harrisonville, MO suffered a ransomware attack at Around 11am on Monday July 9 that impacted its communication system and stopped staff from logging onto its electronic medical record (EHR) system. […]
A former staff member of Arkansas Children’s Hospital is being investigated by law authorities in relation to the theft and misuse of patients’ protected health information. The breach notice submitted to the Department of Health […]
In 2016, Radnor, PA-based Main Line Health Inc., fired a member of staff for breaching Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Rules by viewing the personal records of a co-worker without authorization on two […]
Manitowoc County in Wisconsin has revealed that protected health information has been illegally obtained due to a successful phishing attack. The incident happened close to January 14, 2018, although the attack and data breach was […]
Humana is contacting members across the US to notify them that their PHI may have been been accessed during a ‘sophisticated’ spoofing campaign. A spoofing attack refers to a concerted effort by a threat actor […]
On June 28, 2018, California passed AB 375, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), which will become effective January 1, 2020. It is thought that this will be the first of many State laws […]
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (ADHSS) is contacting ‘more than 500’ individuals to inform them that some of their protected health information (PHI) may have been accessed by hackers. On April 26, […]
In the past few days, Associated Dermatology & Skin Cancer Clinic of Helena, MT, has reported a breach of physical protected health information (PHI) that may have impacted up to 1,254 patients. A journal managed […]
Med Associates the health billing company, located in Latham, NY-based, which provides claims services to over 70 healthcare providers, has found that an employee’s computer has been logged onto by an unauthorized individual. It is possible […]
ICS-CERT has released a warning after identifying eight vulnerabilities in version 8 of Natus Xltek NeuroWorks software implemented in Natus Xltek EEG medical products. If the weaknesses are successfully exploited they could allow a hacker […]
After what is believed to have been inappropriate accessing of patient health records by staff members, Washington Health System has decided to suspend several staff members while the privacy breach is reviewed. While it has […]
New guidance for HIPAA-covered bodies to streamline HIPAA authorizations for uses of protected health information for research purposes has been released by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights , as […]
The results of a HIMSS survey has revealed that medical device security is a strategic focus for most healthcare groups, yet fewer than 50% of healthcare providers have an approved budget for addressing security weaknesses […]
A phishing attack has been experienced by the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities (FAPD), which provides support services for people with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and Downs syndrome. The phishing […]
A former member of staff at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center located in Long Beach, CA who illegally stole the protected health information (PHI) of over 1,000 patients has been given a three-year jail sentence. […]
Two HIPAA-covered organizations are making their patients aware that some of their protected health information (PHI) has been stolen by unauthorized individuals in recent times. PHI Stolen from Staff Member of Christus Spohn Hospitals The […]
The small distinction between HIPAA medical records retention and HIPAA record retention can lead to some confusion when discussing HIPAA retention requirements. This article seeks to explain what records need to be retained under HIPAA, […]
HealthEquity Inc. has been hit by a phishing attack leading to the exposure of members’ protected health information. The data breach was restricted to one email account, although a review of the messages in the […]
A staff member at Phoenix-based Terros Health was tricked by a phishing scam and mistakenly handed over login credentials to the hacker. That person accessed the employee’s email account and may have viewed or obtained […]
The results of a recent survey conducted by Black Book Research show that 90% of hospitals and 94% of physicians have implemented mobile technology and believe that it is helping to enhance patient safety and […]
3,700 plan members of Rise Wisconsin are being warned that some of their protected health information may have been obtained by unauthorized people during a recent ransomware attack. It is estimated that the ransomware was […]
A nurse practitioner who breached the privacy of patients by sharing their contact information with her new employer has been suspended for 12 months by the New York State Education Department. In April 2015, Martha […]
Towards the end of last week social media giant Facebook revealed it experienced a data privacy breach last week that placed 14 million users of the platform in danger. From May 18 and 27, a […]
Aetna have launched fresh attempts to recover some of the expenses they incurred in the ongoing legal battles in relation to a 2017 privacy breach involving the exposure of patients’ sensitive health information. A new […]
HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is an vital legislative Act that impacts the U.S. healthcare secor, but what is the purpose of HIPAA? Healthcare workers often complain about the limitations imposed by […]
An official advisory over weaknesses impacting certain Phillips IntelliVue Patient and Avalon Fetal monitors has been released by the Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). Three weaknesses have been […]
A new application programming interface (API) for developers that will allow them to develop health apps that include patients’ EHR data has been launched by Apple. Users who share their EHR data into the Apple […]
A former member of staff from Mosaic Life Care Medical Center in St. Joseph, MO has filed legal action over wrongful dismissal and retaliation for her taking measures to avoid a breach of the False […]
In Colorado bill HB 1128 has been signed into law by Governor John Hickenlooper. This bill enhances security for consumer data in the state of Colorado. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Reps. Cole Wist (R) […]
The Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act states that that an individual(s) within a Covered Entity or Business Associate must be assigned the duties of HIPAA Compliance Officer. The individual filling this role can be […]
A number of different data breaches and violations of HIPAA Rules have been discovered by Dignity Health in the past few weeks. One incident involved a staff member accessing the PHI of patients without official […]
Purdue University have been discovered two security breaches that may have lead to unauthorized people obtaining access to the protected health information of patients. During April Purdue University’s security team identified a file on computers […]
Boston-based Steward Healthcare System fired a psychiatrist for breaching HIPAA Rules but must now show evidence to jury that he did so. The psychiatrist, Dr. Alexander Lipin, argues he was relieved of his position due to […]
There was a provision included in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, passed in 2009, for the Department of Health and Human Services to share a portion of HIPAA settlements with […]
Aultman Health Foundation, which operates Aultman Hospital in Canton, OH, is alerting around 42,600 patients that some of their protected health information may have been accessed due to a phishing attack. Unauthorized and unknown people […]
By implementing the Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) Standard, healthcare organizations can identify and restrict email spoofing and abuse of their domains; however, relatively few healthcare groups are using DMARC for spam filtering, […]
If your organization is governed by some (Business Associates) or all (Covered Entities) of the Privacy Rule, it is necessary to obtain a valid release form for HIPAA compliance before Protected Health Information (PHI) is […]
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