Wisconsin breach potentially impacts 43K

Beth Walsh | | Health Exec | Cybersecurity
A computer virus is the cause of a data breach impacting 43,000 patients of Froedtert Health, based in Milwaukee, Wis. The organization informed patients that the virus left patients’ data vulnerable in December, 2012, according to TMJ4 news. The virus may have allowed someone to access patient files through a staff member's computer.

While the patient files may have contained patient names, addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, medical record numbers, names of health insurers, diagnoses and clinical information, which data have been inappropriately accessed has yet to be determined. According to TMJ4, Froedtert Health said that fewer than three percent of the files might have contained Social Security numbers.

A letter to Froedtert patients said four of its locations were affected by the potential breach.

Beth Walsh,

Editor

Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.

Related Content

Healthcare hacker sentenced to 10 years in prison
Ransomware group deploys ticking clock to threaten Georgia hospital
Hackers were inside an Iowa hospital’s network for two weeks
Microsoft: Ransomware hit nearly 400 healthcare entities this year—a 300% rise since 2015
Feds make it official: Change data breach was the largest in healthcare history, impacting 100M
CMS contractor takes $1.2M loss after data breach, DOJ lawsuit

Around the web

Cardiovascular Business
Q&A: MedAxiom CEO explores key trends in cardiologist, cardiovascular surgeon compensation

Compensation for heart specialists continues to climb. What does this say about cardiology as a whole? Could private equity's rising influence bring about change? We spoke to MedAxiom CEO Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, a veteran cardiologist himself, to learn more.

Cardiovascular Business
Payment cuts and beyond: Key takeaways for cardiologists from the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

AI in Healthcare
A modest proposal to rally AI regulators around a simple game plan

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”