Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1219854
37 CIO / HEALTH IT Hospitals continue to use insecure storage systems, with 1 billion medical images accessible online By Mackenzie Garrity M ore than 1 billion medical images of patients from across the globe can be accessed and downloaded because hospitals continue to use insecure storage systems, according to a TechCrunch report. e images include X-rays, ultrasounds and CT scans. About half of the images belong to patients in the U.S. Anyone with an internet connection can access the medical images if they have certain free-to-download soware. German security firm Greenbone Networks discovered the unprotected images last year. "e amount of data exposed is still rising, even considering the amount of data taken offline due to disclosures," Dirk Schrader, leader of the Greenbone Networks, told TechCrunch. Many hospitals and health systems store medical images in a single file through DICOM, a so- ware designed to make it easier for providers to share patient images. However, DICOM images can be accessed by any free-to-use apps. Along with exposing the patient image, these documents also store patients' protected health in- formation. Many times, a patient's name, date of birth and sensitive information about the diag- noses are included with the scan. Other times, providers use a patient's Social Security number to identify the image. n McLeod Health creates EHR optimization exec position, team amid Cerner transition By Jackie Drees M cLeod Health in Florence, S.C., selected Marie Saleeby, RN, to serve as senior vice president of workflow optimization, a new position created to improve EHR usage. Ms. Saleeby's new role focuses on finding ways to improve the integration of McLeod Health hospitals and its medical practice EHRs. The health system, which has seven hos- pitals, upgraded its Cerner EHR in February. In her new role, Ms. Saleeby uses resources from operational effectiveness. She also works in cooperation with Matt Reich, senior vice president and CIO at McLeod Health, as well as the health system's information system support services. Previously, she was the administrator and senior vice president of McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence. Ms. Saleeby will lead McLeod Health's workflow optimization team as it adapts to a more standardized EHR system and streamline clinical and supportive workflows. "As administrator of McLeod Regional Medical Center, I have seen the challenge of moving from paper to electronic medical records," Ms, Saleeby said in the news release. "This is not a McLeod issue. This is a national issue… Patients are feeling they are not getting the attention they deserve. And nurses and [physicians] are increasingly facing frustration." Ms. Saleeby joined McLeod Health in 1988 as nursing director for the McLeod Sur- geical Intensive Care Unit. She has since assumed various leadership roles at the health system, including CNO and vice president for patient care services. John McLeod will succeed Ms. Saleeby as administrator of McLeod Regional Med- ical Center. n Hackers demand ransom payments from patients of Florida provider By Mackenzie Garrity P atients of Richard Davis, MD, have reported that they have received ransom demands from a cybercriminal who threatens to release their public information if they don't pay the demand. Dr. Davis is the owner of The Center for Facial Restoration in Miramar, Fla. In November, he discovered that his server had been infected with ransomware. The cybercriminals claimed to have access to patient data and that it would be publicly ex- posed if Dr. Davis did not pay the ransom. After filing a complaint with the FBI Cyber Crimes, Dr. Davis met with the FBI to begin investigat- ing the incident. Since the ran- somware attack, Dr. Davis has in- stalled new hard drives, firewalls and malware detection software. Dr. Davis estimates that the per- sonally identifiable information of up to 3,500 former and current patients may have been exposed due to the ransomware attack. Pa- tients who have been threatened with ransom demands are urged to report the incident to the FBI. "I deeply regret that individuals currently or [formerly] under my care have been victimized by this criminal act, and I urge you to monitor your financial informa- tion closely. A photocopy of [pa- tients'] driver's license, home ad- dress, email address, telephone number and insurance policy numbers were routinely kept on file for most patients, as well as credit card payment receipts," Dr. Davis said in a statement. n