Cybersecurity news for hospitals and health systems

Portland, Ore.-based Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest began notifying patients Jan. 3 that their information may have been exposed in a data breach.

Executives at Facebook, Apple and other technology companies are standing behind their privacy practices, saying that there is a greater need for public education, according to The Wall Street Journal.

McKinney, Texas-based Children's Choice Pediatrics began notifying patients Jan. 7 of a ransomware attack that may have exposed their protected health information.

Mercy Health Lorain (Ohio) Hospital is alerting patients that their protected health information may have been exposed in a data breach at a revenue cycle management vendor.

Alexandria, Minn.-based Alomere Health began notifying 49,351 patients Jan. 3 that their information may have been exposed in two phishing attacks.

The IT department at Aspen Valley (Colo.) Hospital blocked a ransomware attack after discovering malicious malware was being used to infect its system, according to the Aspen Times.

While more than half (53 percent) of Americans feel that technology has helped them establish a more connected relationship with healthcare providers, just 38 percent believe there are proper safeguards in place to protect their personal health information, according to…

The Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center is recommending hospitals and health systems update their systems with security patches as tensions between the U.S. and Iran rise, according Politico's Morning eHealth newsletter.

As data breaches become larger and more common, healthcare organizations are putting more focus on cybersecurity.

An IT professional at a New York City-based hospital pleaded guilty Dec. 20 to one count of computer fraud, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.