Cybersecurity news for hospitals and health systems

The Biden administration and Congress are gearing up to confront ransomware attacks on hospitals as the federal government increases its involvement in cybersecurity, according to a May 5 report by The Hill.

A growing list of hospitals and health systems across the U.S. are reporting data breaches linked to a ransomware attack on CaptureRx, a San Antonio, Texas-based health IT company that helps hospitals manage their 340B drug programs. 

Los Angeles-based St. John's Well Child and Family Center began notifying 29,030 patients of a data breach that disrupted access to its systems, according to an April 29 notification letter.

Orthopedic Associates of Dutchess County in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., recently began notifying patients that their protected health information was exposed by a hacking incident. 

Scripps Health is still recovering from a May 1 cyberattack, which the San Diego-based health system revealed involved malware on its computer networks, according to a May 5 report from local ABC affiliate KGTV. 

In honor of World Password Day on May 6, Becker's Hospital Review is compiling tips and insights to make your passwords and your staff's passwords strong.

Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare, an affiliate of Utica, N.Y.-based Mohawk Valley Health System, recently began notifying more than 17,000 patients that their protected health information had been exposed by a vendor data breach.

Cyberattacks in the healthcare industry have skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic, with 20 percent of Americans having a healthcare provider hit by a cyberattack in the last 12 months.

As healthcare data breaches are surging, so are ransom demands, with hackers asking for $4.6 million on average, according to an April 29 report published by BakerHostetler.

Scripps Health websites are still down after a May 1 cyberattack, and patients are turning to Facebook to see if their appointments and surgeries are still on.