Cybersecurity

The digital security of healthcare institutions and data is a growing concern, with an increasing number of cyberattacks each year against healthcare systems, which are seen as easy targets. Cyber attacks often use ransomware to target personal health information, patient data and medical devices to cut off access to the data until a ransom is payed to the hacker. Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using malware, ransomware and spyware to attack outdated and vulnerable systems and software. Due to the interconnected nature of hospital IT systems today, the weakest link can be older web-enabled medical devices, including clinical and non-clinical systems. Employees are also a major target of attacks via malicious e-mails that prompt them to open attachments that then download malware onto the hospital's IT system.

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Survey: Medical identify theft on the rise

Consumers are increasingly at risk of medical identity theft and could face serious medical and financial consequences, according to a recent Ponemon Institute survey.

Email mistake impacts 670 Kaiser patients

Kaiser Permanente is notifying 670 northern California patients of a HIPAA privacy breach after an emailed attachment containing the protected health information of patients was sent to a recipient outside the Kaiser network. 

HHS: Entities need 32M hours to comply with HIPAA omnibus bill

Entities will require about 32.1 million hours to comply with the HIPPA omnibus bill, set to go into effect Sept. 23, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

MRO Corp. Announces Acquisition of Release-of-Information Vendor MTT Enterprises, LLC

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.-- MRO Corp., a leading provider of technology-driven disclosure management services and applications for healthcare organizations, has acquired the assets of MTT Enterprises, LLC (Metairie, La.), a provider of release-of-information (ROI) services. Mariela Twiggs, CEO of MTT, will assume the role of MRO’s executive director of training and education, client relations. The transaction took effect September 6.

Hackers theft of credit card info impacts 7K in SC

Hackers stole the credit card information of approximately 7,000 patients or other financially responsible people of The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

NSA revelations raise questions about privacy

With the Sept. 23 compliance deadline for the HIPAA Omnibus Rule inching closer, new revelations about the National Security Agency’s (NSA’s) ability to circumvent or crack much of the encryption that guards IT systems, including those for medical records, may stir more questions about the ability to protect and secure personal health information.

Missouri practice computer theft impacts 10K

A Missouri orthodontics practice has notified 10,000 patients and their parents about the theft of two desktop computers and an external hard drive.

Unencrypted laptop stolen from Texas practice

The theft of an unencrypted laptop has resulted in UT Physicians, the group practice of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School, notifying 596 patients that some of their protected health information may have been compromised.

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