A pharmaceutical sales rep has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit healthcare fraud and wrongfully disclosing and obtaining patients’ protected health information in an elaborate healthcare fraud scheme involving criminal HIPAA violations. Keith Ritson, 42, of Bayville, New Jersey, is a former pharmaceutical sales representative who promoted compound prescription medications and other drugs between 2014… Read More »

Check Point’s 2022 Mid-Year Report has revealed the healthcare industry has seen the biggest percentage rise in cyberattacks out of all industry sectors, increasing by 69% in 1H 2022, compared to 2021.  Healthcare now ranks fifth highest in the number of weekly attacks, behind education, government/military, ISP/MSP, and communications. Check Point explains in the report… Read More »

The U.S. government is taking steps to improve critical infrastructure cybersecurity, with healthcare, water, and the communications sectors the next focus areas for the White House. The White House is planning to issue new guidance and cybersecurity standards for these industries to improve resilience against malicious cyber actors, whose attacks are increasing in both frequency… Read More »

A second health system has announced that patient data has been impermissibly passed to Meta (Facebook) as a result of the inclusion of Meta Pixel tracking code on its website. First came Novant Health, with its admission that the protected health information of 1.36 million patients had been sent to Meta. Now, Advocate Aurora Health… Read More »

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has agreed to settle an investigation of EyeMed Vision Care (EyeMed) into potential violations of the DFS Cybersecurity Regulation for $4.5 million. EyeMed is an Ohio-based licensed health insurance company, which collects and stores sensitive consumer information as part of its business practices. EyeMed Vision Care… Read More »

Chambersburg, PA-based Keystone Health has recently announced that it fell victim to a cyberattack on August 19, 2022, which caused temporary disruption to its computer systems. Steps were immediately taken to restore the security of its systems and prevent further unauthorized access, and a third-party cybersecurity firm was engaged to investigate the breach and determine… Read More »

Austin, TX-based VisionWeb Holdings, a provider of Internet-delivered software solutions for the eye care industry for improving practice efficiency, has recently reported a data breach to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights that has affected up to 35,900 patients. According to the breach report sent to the HHS on October 3, 2022, unauthorized individuals gained… Read More »

Radiology Associates of Albuquerque (aka RAA Imaging/Advanced Imaging, LLC) has recently notified patients that some of their protected health information was stolen in a cyberattack that was detected more than 12 months previously. RAA said suspicious activity was detected within its environment in August 2021. Prompt action was taken to secure its systems and prevent… Read More »

Phoenix, AZ-based Valle del Sol Community Health has notified 70,268 patients that some of their protected health information has been exposed. Valle de Sol did not state in its notification letters when hackers gained access to its network, or for how long they had access, but did confirm that the unauthorized activity was detected on… Read More »

The healthcare industry is extensively targeted by cybercriminals, who seek access to healthcare networks for a range of nefarious purposes. Medical records are highly prized, but why are medical records so valuable to criminals? Hackers are going to great lengths to gain access to healthcare network. Data compiled by HIPAA Journal from breach reports submitted… Read More »