Cybersecurity news for hospitals and health systems

An employee at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota blew the whistle on thousands of updates to its computer system that have not been made, according to the Star Tribune.

While many services operated by the New Orleans government are up and running following a Dec. 13 cyberattack, the city's health department continues to have connectivity issues, according to local ABC affiliate WGNO.

Kansas City, Mo.-based Truman Medical Centers is notifying 114,466 patients that their information may have been exposed. 

Grand Haven, Mich.-based North Ottawa Community Hospital is notifying 4,013 patients that their records were improperly viewed by an unauthorized employee. 

Different agencies and services in New Orleans have been shut down due to a Dec. 13 cyberattack, which has not been confirmed as a ransomware attack, according to CNBC.

An employee at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital improperly disposed patients' meal tray tickets, potentially exposing some of their protected health information, according to NBC Bay Area.

Cheyenne (Wyo.) Regional Medical Center is notifying 17,549 patients of a security incident that may have exposed their protected health information.

Hackensack (N.J.) Meridian Health on Dec. 13 said it paid an undisclosed amount in ransom to stop a cyberattack that had caused a two-day shutdown of its computer network last week, according to Asbury Park Press.

The federal Office for Civil Rights announced a second settlement Dec. 12  in its initiative to ensure hospitals are promptly providing patients with copies of their medical records without overcharging them. 

As cyberattacks on healthcare organizations increase across the country, hospitals in Wyoming are dealing with malware attacks "weekly, if not daily," according to a Dec. 12 Casper Star Tribune report.