Cybersecurity

Here are the healthcare provider malware, ransomware and phishing incidents Becker's Hospital Review reported on during September.

Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger launched a digital information hub to combat telephone scams and make it easier for patients and health plan members to protect personal information.

North Platte, Neb.-based Great Plains Health is unable to access its EHR due to a computer system outage at Omaha-based Nebraska Medicine, according to a report in The North Platte Telegraph.

A Community Health Systems entity that provides business associate services to hospitals and clinics agreed to settle violations related to a potential HIPAA breach for $2.3 million.

Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, Neb., had a computer network interruption on Sept. 22, according to the Star Herald.

Omaha-based Nebraska Medicine's computer system went down due to a security incident, according to a Live Well Nebraska report.

Michael Nowatkowski, PhD, associate professor at University of Augusta's computer and cyber sciences school in Georgia, specializes in reverse engineering medical devices to check their cybersecurity strength, according to a Sept. 18 Athens Banner-Herald report. 

The Office of Civil Rights agreed to settle systemic HIPAA noncompliance with a Georgia-based orthopedic practice stemming from a 2016 incident, according to a Sept. 21 announcement.

University of Missouri Health Care discovered an employee email phishing attack in May that exposed some patient information.

So far this year, healthcare organizations nationwide have reported to HHS a collective total of  about 13.7 million individuals being affected by data breaches.