Analysis: The Latest Health Data Breach Tally Trends
Gov Info Security
Marianne Kolbasuk McGee
Hacking incidents - including ransomware attacks - continue to be the most common type of health data breaches added to the federal tally this year. And the ongoing COVID-19 crisis will put healthcare organizations at heightened risk for such incidents in the months to come, some experts predict.
A snapshot on Thursday shows that 508 breaches affecting a total of nearly 22.3 million individuals have been added to the Department of Health and Human Services' HIPAA Breach Reporting Tool website so far in 2020, up from 444 breaches impacting about 21 million individuals as of Oct. 13. The website, commonly called the "wall of shame," lists breaches affecting 500 or more individuals reported to HHS' Office for Civil Rights.
Since 2009, some...