Although the total number of healthcare data breaches reported in 2016 is an order of magnitude lower than the number seen in 2015, there was a significant increase in the number of covered entities (CEs) that reported breaches.
There were 16,471,765 recorded breaches seen in 2016, which compares to 113,267,174 exposed records 2015. Despite this massive decrease, more CEs reported breaches than in any other year since OCR started publishing breach summaries in 2009. These summaries are published on its ‘Wall of Shame’, which ranks 2016 as the second worst year in terms of the number of patient and health plan members’ records that have been exposed in a single year. These files were commonly stolen following massive cyberattacks on the databases of major health data companies.
As of February 6, 2017, more than 329 reported breaches of more than 500 records that have been uploaded to the OCR breach portal. This is a significant increase on the same period in previous years. A summary of the figures comparing previous years is outlined below:
2016 Healthcare Data Breaches of 500 or More Records
|
Year |
Number of Breaches (500+) |
Number of Records Exposed |
|
2016 |
329 |
16,471,765 |
|
2015 |
270 |
113,267,174 |
|
2014 |
307 |
12,737,973 |
|
2013 |
274 |
6,950,118 |
|
2012 |
209 |
2,808,042 |
|
2011 |
196 |
13,150,298 |
|
2010 |
198 |
5,534,276 |
|
2009 |
18 |
134,773 |
|
Total |
1801 |
171,054,419 |
Largest Healthcare Data Breaches of 2016
These figures suggest a significant reduction in large healthcare data breaches year on year. However, careful analysis of the figures is needed to understand the complexity of the underlying situation.
In 2015 there were three massive data breaches reported by covered entities due to massive cyberattacks on their databases. These CEs included Anthem Inc., Premera Blue Cross, and Excellus Health Plan. Those three cyberattacks resulted in the theft of 78.8 million records, 11 million, and 10 million records respectively.
More records may have been exposed in 2015 as a result of those major cyberattacks. However, in each size category, 2016 ranked worse than 2015. Therefore, 2016 was a particularly bad year in regards to the security of health data.
|
Breaches of More Than 500 Records |
||||
|
Year |
500 to 1000 |
1,000 to 10,000 |
10,000 to 100,000 |
100,001+ |
|
2016 |
89 |
158 |
67 |
14 |
|
2015 |
76 |
142 |
37 |
12 |
*No total submitted for one healthcare data breach in 2016
All of the largest healthcare data breaches of 2016 (the breaches which resulted in the exposure or theft of more than 100,000 healthcare records) affected healthcare providers, aside from one major breach at a business associate and a health plan. The largest healthcare data breach of 2016 experienced by a health plan was the 381,504-record breach reported by Community Health Plan of Washington in December.
Largest Healthcare Data Breaches of 2016
The following table summarises the largest healthcare breaches of the past year, including the CEs and the volume of records exposed.
|
Rank |
Covered Entity |
Entity Type |
Cause of Breach |
Records Exposed |
|
1 |
Banner Health |
Healthcare Provider |
Hacking/IT Incident |
3,620,000 |
|
2 |
Newkirk Products, Inc. |
Business Associate |
Hacking/IT Incident |
3,466,120 |
|
3 |
21st Century Oncology |
Healthcare Provider |
Hacking/IT Incident |
2,213,597 |
|
4 |
Valley Anesthesiology Consultants |
Healthcare Provider |
Hacking/IT Incident |
882,590 |
|
5 |
County of Los Angeles Departments of Health and Mental Health |
Healthcare Provider |
Hacking/IT Incident |
749,017 |
|
6 |
Bon Secours Health System Incorporated |
Healthcare Provider |
Unauthorized Access/Disclosure |
651,971 |
|
7 |
Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic |
Healthcare Provider |
Hacking/IT Incident |
531,000 |
|
8 |
Radiology Regional Center, PA |
Healthcare Provider |
Loss |
483,063 |
|
9 |
California Correctional Health Care Services |
Healthcare Provider |
Theft |
400,000 |
|
10 |
Community Health Plan of Washington |
Health Plan |
Hacking/IT Incident |
381,504 |
|
11 |
Central Ohio Urology Group, Inc. |
Healthcare Provider |
Hacking/IT Incident |
300,000 |
|
12 |
Premier Healthcare, LLC |
Healthcare Provider |
Theft |
205,748 |
|
13 |
Athens Orthopedic Clinic, P.A. |
Healthcare Provider |
Unauthorized Access/Disclosure |
201,000 |
|
14 |
Community Mercy Health Partners |
Healthcare Provider |
Improper Disposal |
Main Causes of Healthcare Data Breaches in 2016
The healthcare industry in the United States is at peril from insider attacks on their databases. Although this type of attack was not responsible for the largest healthcare data breaches of 2016, these breaches can cause the most harm to patients. The victims of these incidents are frequently at major risk of identity theft and fraud, and usually relatively soon after data have been stolen. Hackers often wait for a year or two before data are used.
As in 2015, the main cause of healthcare data breaches in 2016 was unauthorized access/disclosure. Hacking incidents on the scale of those at Anthem, Premera, and Excellus were not repeated in 2016. Although the scale of the 2015 attacks was not repeated in 2016, the number of healthcare hacks increased massively, with more providers being attacked than ever before.
The loss and theft of unencrypted devices used to store PHI fell considerably year on year. The use of data encryption technology could have prevented all of those data breaches and the exposure of almost 1,500,000 healthcare records.
|
Main Cause of Breach |
2016 |
2015 |
|
Unauthorized Access/Disclosure |
130 |
102 |
|
Hacking/IT Incident |
113 |
57 |
|
Theft |
62 |
81 |
|
Loss |
16 |
23 |
|
Improper Disposal |
7 |
6 |
2016 Healthcare Data Breaches by Covered Entity
The nature of healthcare data breaches in 2016 was similar to 2015, with healthcare providers the main entities breached. Overall, the percentage of breaches affecting health plans was significantly lower in 2015. Data breaches at business associates remained at the same level year on year.
|
Breached Entity |
2016 |
2015 |
|
Healthcare Provider |
257 |
196 |
|
Health Plan |
52 |
62 |
|
Business Associate |
20 |
19 |
Data Source: Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights: Figures Updated February 7, 2017
