Patient Data Breach Exposes COVID-19 Patients
On August 17, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) of South Dakota sent out breach notifications to patients exposed by a June 19 data breach. The patient data [...]
Healthcare Ransomware Attack Claims 657,392 Victims
Northern Light Health Foundation is the latest victim of the ransomware attack on Blackbaud Inc. Blackbaud was targeted by hackers, as they are one of the largest administration fundraising [...]
May Healthcare Breaches Affected 157,000 Patients
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) posts breaches affecting more than 500 patients to their online breach portal. According to the OCR [...]
March Healthcare Breaches Compromise 800,000 Patients
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reported 38 March healthcare breaches, affecting 828,921 patients. Of the reported incidents, there were 19 breaches [...]
1.5 Million Patients Affected by February Healthcare Breaches
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reported 39 February healthcare breaches, affecting 1,531,855 patients. Of the reported incidents, there were 26 breaches [...]
Leap Year Law and the HIPAA Breach Notification Deadline
Is there such a thing as a leap year law? Once every four years (e.g., 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012), there is a February 29th. Years with [...]
Accidental Disclosure of PHI
Even when a covered entity or business associate maintains an effective HIPAA compliance program, there are still instances where unintentional HIPAA violations occur. These violations can take [...]
October Healthcare Breaches Affected Nearly 624,000 Patients
October healthcare breaches, listed on the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) “wall of shame” affected 623,888 patients. Only healthcare breaches affecting more than 500 individuals are listed on the [...]
Is Mailing Breach Notification Letters to Wrong Patient a Breach?
Alive Hospice, based in Tennessee, experienced a healthcare breach due to phishing emails. A phishing email occurs when a hacker disguises themselves as a trusted user, prompting recipients to [...]
Content Requirements for a HIPAA Breach Notification
Under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, covered entities, following a breach of unsecured protected health information (PHI), must provide notification of the breach to affected individuals. HIPAA [...]
