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 Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using malware, ransomware and spyware to attack outdated and vulnerable systems and software.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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Protected health information of 19K Toyota employees, health plan members potentially exposed

The personal and protected health information of about 19,000 current and former Toyota employees and health plan participants may be at risk following a breach that happened in August.

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Only 39% of healthcare providers confident in medical device security

Just 39 percent of healthcare organizations and providers are confident in their medical device security, according to report by KLAS, College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIMES) and the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security (AEHIS).

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Patient information exposed on Twitter during Gwinnett Medical Center breach

The FBI is currently investigating a reported data breach at the Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia, according to a report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Cybersecurity threats named top health technology hazard for 2019

Cybersecurity and hacking threats were named the top technology hazard healthcare organizations are expected to face in 2019.

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Aspire Health email system hacked, loses some protected health information

Nashville healthcare company Aspire Health is still trying to identify a hacker that attacked its email system and took some patient health information, according to a report by The Tennessean.

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Healthcare providers, health plans accounted for most breaches, patient records exposed

Between 2010 and 2017, healthcare providers and health plans accounted for the most breaches and largest number of patient records compromised from breaches, according to a research letter published in JAMA.

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UMass Memorial entities ordered to pay $230K fine for data breaches

The Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General announced on Thursday, Sept. 20, that UMass Memorial Medical Group, Inc. and UMass Memorial Medical Center, Inc. have been ordered to pay $230,000 following two separate data breaches that exposed the personal health information of more than 15,000 people.

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Boston hospitals fined nearly $1M for potential HIPAA violations

The federal government has fined three Boston hospitals nearly $1 million for potential HIPAA violations regarding a documentary series.

Around the web

Cardiovascular devices are more likely to be in a Class I recall than any other device type. The FDA's approval process appears to be at least partially responsible, though the agency is working to make some serious changes. We spoke to a researcher who has been tracking these data for years to learn more. 

Updated compensation data includes good news for multiple subspecialties. The new report also examines private equity's impact on employment models and how much male cardiologists earn compared to females.

When drugs are on the FDA’s shortage list, outsourcing facilities can produce their own compounded versions. When the FDA removed tirzepatide from that list with no warning, it created a considerable amount of chaos both behind the scenes and in pharmacies all over the country. 

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