Hospital Data Breach Affects 3,000 People

Employee with access to hospital data servers improperly viewed private health information

By By Dan Hounsell


Healthcare IT managers continue fortifying defenses of their in-house technology and devices in an effort to stem the growing tide of cyber attacks seeking valuable patient information. Unfortunately, data breaches continue at a rapid pace.

The California Department of State Hospitals recently discovered that an employee data breach uncovered in February affected about 2,952 more individuals than initially believed, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. The department on Feb. 25 discovered that an employee who had access to Atascadero (Calif.) State Hospital data servers as part of their IT job responsibilities had improperly viewed the private health information of about 1,415 patients and 617 employees. Patient and employee data exposed in the breach included names, COVID-19 test results and information needed for COVID-19 tracking.

The additional data involved in the breach belonged to about 1,735 current and former hospital employees, as well as 1,217 hospital job applicants who never became employees.



April 8, 2021


Topic Area: Infection Control


Recent Posts

ISSA Introduces Healthcare Platform to Advance Safer, Cleaner Patient Environments

This new resource integrates training, research and cross-sector collaboration to raise care standards and improve patient outcomes.


Third-Party Tracking Settlement is a Compliance Wake-Up Call for Healthcare Facilities Managers

Mount Sinai Health System agrees to a $5.3 million settlement to resolve claims it improperly shared patient data with Facebook through tracking tools.


ECU Health Behavioral Health Hospital Hosts Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Facility

The new facility features 144 beds and a healing environment for behavioral health patients.


Aspire Rural Health System Reports Data Security Incident

Upon detecting the unauthorized activity, Aspire immediately worked to contain the incident and launched a thorough investigation.


Fatal Flaws: Strategies for Active Attackers

Anything that goes wrong with the response is the liability exposure of the organization — not the employee and not the police.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.