DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Kansas Hospital Alerts Patients to Online Security Breach

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Lee J

Officials at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, Kan., said they are anticipating a federal investigation and possible fine after an online security breach potentially compromised 8,000 patients’ financial information. The* Lawrence Journal World* reported that the hospital mailed letters alerting patients to the problem. The breach apparently occurred Sept. 20 when a company that hosts the hospital’s online bill paying service was upgrading its system. The company apparently left a portal open that contained payment records from 28 patients. That information was accessed by Google, which then cached the page and kept the information public. Hospital officials also believe there was a way to access a database that contained information on every patient who had used the online bill pay system since it was first offered in 2005 from that portal. The hospital learned about the security breach Oct. 28 after a patient using Google to search her husband’s name found his financial information online. The hospital’s general counsel, Andy Ramirez, said the hospital did not own or maintain the computers that operated the online bill pay system. He said the hospital wasn’t hacked and described the situation as a “self-inflicted wound” by the company that hosted the billing service. “Literally, it was like leaving the door to the house open,” said Susan Thomas, the hospital’s compliance management director. She said that if a federal investigation leads to a fine, the vendors most likely would be responsible for paying it because the contract required them to keep patient records private. The hospital has been advising patients to take steps that would make them feel more comfortable — whether it be putting a lock on the account or obtaining a new bank card. Two patients have contacted the hospital so far about charges to their accounts they consider suspicious. “We can’t tell them for sure if this incident is directly responsible for that,” Thomas said, noting that the only way to know is if the account was used only for the hospital’s online billing service. The online bill pay system has been shut down but should return in a few weeks. The hospital already was in the process of switching to a different vendor to provide the online service

No related posts.

Category: Breach Incidents

Post navigation

← Personal info from more than 500 patients on Web
Microsoft denies xbox Live security breach →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $14.6 Billion in Alleged Fraud
  • Swiss Health Foundation Radix Hit by Cyberattack Affecting Federal Data
  • Russian hackers get 7 and 5 years in prison for large-scale cyber attacks with ransomware, over 60 million euros in bitcoins seized
  • Bolton Walk-In Clinic patient data leak locked down (finally!)
  • 50 Customers of French Bank Hit by Insider SIM Swap Scam
  • Ontario health agency atHome ordered to inform 200,000 patients of March data breach
  • Fact-Checking Claims By Cybernews: The 16 Billion Record Data Breach That Wasn’t
  • Horizon Healthcare RCM discloses ransomware attack in December
  • Disgruntled IT Worker Jailed for Cyber Attack, Huddersfield
  • Hacker helped kill FBI sources, witnesses in El Chapo case, according to watchdog report

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • The Trump administration is building a national citizenship data system
  • Supreme Court Decision on Age Verification Tramples Free Speech and Undermines Privacy
  • New Jersey Issues Draft Privacy Regulations: The New
  • Hacker helped kill FBI sources, witnesses in El Chapo case, according to watchdog report
  • Germany Wants Apple, Google to Remove DeepSeek From Their App Stores
  • Supreme Court upholds Texas law requiring age verification on porn sites
  • Justices nix Medicaid ‘right’ to choose doctor, defunding Planned Parenthood in South Carolina

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.