Health data breaches increased three-fold in 2021
HealthExec
Amy Baxter
Health data breaches were on the rise last year, leaving millions of Americans’ sensitive health information exposed.
Nearly 50 million people had their health data breached in 2021, a three-fold increase in three years. The figure comes from Politico, which analyzed recent data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Every state except South Dakota had breach incidents, the media outlet found.
Healthcare data breaches have been a rising concern for healthcare organizations, patients and lawmakers, with the healthcare sector being one of the top targets for cyber attacks.
As digital health records become more sophisticated and accessible across healthcare organizations, patients’ records have become more vulnerable. More than 1 in 10 residents in half of states plus...