July 2024: 42 breaches impact healthcare industry

In July 2024, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Breach Portal reported that the healthcare sector experienced 42 data breaches, impacting over 917,000 patients.

Hacking incidents

The July 2024 breach data shows that hacking was responsible for 88% of affected patient records. This aligns with recent patterns, where hacking has been the leading cause of healthcare data breaches for several years.

Dissecting the hacking incidents

A closer examination of the July 2024 hacking incidents reveals the following:

• 24 healthcare providers reported 617,751 patients affected by hacking incidents.
• 7 health plans reported 121,866 patients affected by hacking incidents.
• 5 business associates reported 55,354 patients affected by hacking incidents.
  
  

Fortifying against hacking threats

To mitigate the risk of hacking incidents, healthcare organizations must adopt a multi-pronged approach:

• Security risk assessments: Regular security risk assessments identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses within an organization's security practices. Addressing the identified deficiencies through effective remediation plans helps healthcare providers enhance their resilience against cyber threats.
• Employee cybersecurity training: Phishing attacks, often the gateway for hacking incidents, thrive on human error. Employee cybersecurity training programs that focus on recognizing and responding to phishing attempts can effectively mitigate this risk.

Unauthorized access and disclosure

While hacking incidents dominated, unauthorized access and disclosure incidents also contributed to the overall data breach crisis, accounting for 12% of the affected patient records.

Dissecting unauthorized access and disclosure incidents

The July 2024 breach data reveals the following:

• 6 healthcare providers reported 109,541 patients affected by unauthorized access or disclosure incidents.
• 1 health plan reported 566 patients affected by unauthorized access or disclosure incidents.

Preventing unauthorized access and disclosure

To address the challenge of unauthorized access and disclosure, healthcare organizations should focus on two areas:

• Policies, procedures, and employee training: Establishing clear HIPAA compliant policies and procedures that guide employees on the appropriate use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI) is beneficial. Complementing these policies with employee training ensures that all staff members understand their obligations and responsibilities.
• Implementing user authentication, access controls, and audit controls: User authentication, access controls, and audit controls are necessary for ensuring that PHI is accessed and used only by authorized individuals. These measures enable healthcare organizations to enforce the principle of minimum necessary access and track any inappropriate access attempts.

Addressing the broader implications of healthcare data breaches

The consequences of the July 2024 healthcare data breaches extend far beyond the immediate impact on affected patients. These incidents have the potential to undermine public trust, disrupt healthcare operations, and expose organizations to legal and financial repercussions.

Restoring public trust

Data breaches can erode patient confidence in the healthcare system, leading to reluctance to share sensitive information or seek medical care. Healthcare organizations must prioritize transparent communication, timely breach notifications, and remediation efforts to regain the trust of their patients.

Operational disruptions and financial impacts

Cybersecurity incidents can disrupt healthcare operations, from patient care to billing and administrative functions. The resulting downtime, recovery efforts, and potential regulatory fines can inflict substantial financial burdens on healthcare organizations, diverting resources from patient-centric initiatives.

Navigating legal and regulatory challenges

Healthcare organizations must adhere to strict data privacy and security regulations like HIPAA. Non-compliance can lead to heavy fines, legal issues, and damage to reputation. Staying ahead with proactive compliance measures and having solid incident response plans can help manage these challenging legal and regulatory demands.

Read more: Healthcare data breach insights and statistics 

FAQs

What is a data breach?

A data breach is an incident where sensitive, protected, or confidential data is accessed, disclosed, or stolen by unauthorized individuals. This can include personal information such as names, social security numbers, credit card details, and medical records. Data breaches can occur through various means, such as hacking, malware attacks, insider threats, or inadequate security measures.

Can legal action result from a data breach?

Yes, legal action can result from a data breach, as affected individuals or organizations may sue for damages caused by the breach.

How can healthcare organizations prevent data breaches?

Healthcare organizations can reduce the risk of data breaches by implementing strong cybersecurity measures, conducting regular security training for employees, and using encryption to protect sensitive data. 

What should a healthcare organization do immediately after discovering a data breach?

Upon discovering a data breach, a healthcare organization should contain the breach, assess the scope of the impact, notify affected individuals and relevant authorities, and begin an investigation to understand how the breach occurred and how to prevent future incidents.

Learn more: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide