Herb Weisbaum reports: Your medical records are a prime target for hackers and identity thieves, but the healthcare industry is not prepared to deal with a surge in data breaches, security incidents and criminal attacks, according to a new report by the Ponemon Institute released on Thursday. “Organizations in the healthcare space are not playing…
Category: Health Data
Ca: Newfoundland patient data breach investigated (updated)
The Canadian Press reports: A health authority in Newfoundland and Labrador is investigating a breach of confidentiality after a document containing patient information was picked up off hospital property in Grand Falls-Windsor. Central Health CEO Rosemarie Goodyear says the document obtained by a local news outlet had information on 16 patients, including name, age and…
FL Dept. of Health documents of 5 patients stolen
News13 reports that sensitive information on five patients was in a “secure briefcase” stolen from a Florida Department of Health employee’s vehicle. The state knew about the March 31st theft on April 1, but only notified patients this week, it seems. One of the victims, Chris Kibodeaux, didn’t learn until Thursday that his name, social…
Criminal Attacks Are Now Leading Cause of Data Breach in Healthcare, According to New Ponemon Study
The healthcare industry is experiencing a surge in data breaches, security incidents, and criminal attacks—exposing millions of patients and their medical records—according to the latest Ponemon Institute study, sponsored by ID Experts®, the Fifth Annual Benchmark Study on Privacy & Security of Healthcare Data. The study reveals that criminal attacks in healthcare are up 125 percent since 2010…
Former Blue Cross worker pleads guilty to filing over 180 fraudulent tax returns
WTVM reports that a former Blue Cross Blue Shield customer service employee has pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Danielle Wallace admitted to filing 180 fraudulent tax returns and stealing nearly $500,000. The false returns used personal information obtained from Blue Cross Blue Shield members who had called the…
Pennsylvania-based Summit Health joins ranks of those falling for phishing
On March 18, attorneys for Summit Health, Inc. in Pennsylvania notified the Maryland Attorney General’s Office that on February 19, the hospital had learned that some of its employees had fallen for a phishing attempt. As a result of the successful phishing, employees’ information in the Lawson Employee Self-Service System, used to access payroll and benefits information, may…