The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced its fourth cybersecurity investigation and settlement, noting a 264% increase in significant ransomware breaches since 2018. A recent settlement with a medium-sized healthcare provider involved a $250,000 payment and commitments to enhance the security of Protected Health Information (PHI). This investigation and settlement underscore the critical need
Data Breach
Hospital Mergers Double the Risk of a Data Breach, Study Shows
The healthcare sector is a prime target for data breaches. According to a summary by the HIPAA Journal, 32% of all data breaches between 2015 and 2022 were in the healthcare sector, “almost double the number recorded in the financial and manufacturing sectors.” Industry analysts cite to many reasons for this, including the sensitivity…
Getting Healthcare in 2023 and Beyond…Virtually…and Securely
Much is being written about “remote work” – is it productive, will demand for it continue or be curtailed in a recession, is cybersecurity compromised, does it inhibit workplace culture, collaboration, etc. Lots of questions, few clear answers. Read more at our Workplace Privacy, Data Management & Security Report.
OCR Reminds Healthcare Providers and Their Business Associates – You Need an Incident Response Plan!
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness month, and the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has provided a timely reminder for HIPAA covered entities and business associates to have a written incident response plan! To learn why another policy is needed, what an incident response plan needs to include, and the reporting obligations, read the…
Healthcare Companies Seek to Manage Risk of Ransomware Attacks, According to Report
Healthcare companies continue to face increased risks of ransomware attacks on their operations. According to the recently released BD Cybersecurity Annual Report for 2021, such attacks are also increasingly sophisticated. Management can take important steps to minimize the risks of this form of cybercrime.
Ransomware
Ransomware is malware that encrypts files on a device,…
Is your e-PHI Secure? ONC and OCR Update HIPAA Security Risk Assessment Tool
October 2018 marks the 15th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month. In honor of this occasion, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) have jointly launched an updated HIPAA Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool to help covered entities and business associates comply…
“Your Own Cybersecurity Is Not Enough”: NJ Physician Practice Fined Over $400,000 for Data Breach Caused By Vendor
New Jersey’s Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (“Division”) recently announced that a physician group affiliated with more than 50 South Jersey medical and surgical practices agreed to pay $417,816 and improve data security practices to settle allegations it failed to properly protect the privacy of more than…