Recently, a server of a Texas health-care system was hacked, compromising the protected health-care records of approximately 405,000 individuals.
The three-day attack, which took place in December of 2013 at the five-hospital St. Joseph Health System in Bryan, Texas, was one of the largest HIPAA security breaches ever, according to Department of Health and Human Services. It gave the hackers access to both patient and employee Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and addresses as well as confidential health-care information.
The incident is not isolated. In March 2012, another attack, this time reported by the Utah Department of Health, gave the same information of some 780,000 individuals to hackers.
St. Joseph Health System quickly took the affected server offline and launched an investigation with national security and computer forensics experts. That being said, The incident underscores the importance of data security as more and more health-care data goes digital.
The best course of action a practice can take is to work with a trusted systems provider who has a track record in not only keeping data safe but ensuring that attacks are minimized. A great provider will help a practice like yours implement security measures before the attack happens, greatly reducing the chance of data being compromised. They will also work with you to ensure that should an attacker gain access to your systems, the data contained is secure.
Are you prepared? If not, an IT specialist like us can work with you to ensure your patient data is protected. Contact us to today to learn more.
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