Becker's Hospital Review

57 CIO / HEALTH IT Ransomware group auctions Crozer- Keystone Health System data on darknet By Jackie Drees N etwalker, a ransomware operator that threatens to publish data online if ransoms aren't paid, hacked Springfield, Pa.-based Croz- er-Keystone Health System and auctioned off its data online, ac- cording to Cointelegraph. The ransomware gang is selling the stolen data from Crozer-Keystone through its darknet website and said it will leak the data if it is not pur- chased at the auction, according to the June 19 report. In a June 22 emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review, a Crozer-Key- stone spokesperson said the health system is conducting a full investiga- tion of the incident and worked with cybersecurity professionals across its organization to respond to the issue. "After quickly identifying a recent malware attack, the Crozer-Keystone information technology team took immediate action and began reme- diating impacted systems," the spokesperson said. "Having isolated the intrusion, we took necessary systems offline to prevent further risk." Cointelegraph was able to access Netwalker's alleged publication on June 19, which showed "dozens of folders with an undisclosed amount of data, mostly concerning finances, but nothing related to medical records of patients," according to the report. Netwalker claimed Crozer-Keystone declined to pay for the ransom the group demanded in Bitcoin. n HCSC partners with Epic: 3 things to know By Jackie Drees H ealth Care Service Corp., the Chicago-based parent of five Blue Cross Blue Shield health plans, tapped Epic to launch a health information exchange platform between insurers, providers and patients. Three things to know: 1. The new Payer Platform will operate through Epic and establish a two- way exchange of information at the point of care between HCSC and in-net- work providers that use the Verona, Wis.-based EHR vendor's software. 2. The platform will support information exchange between HCSC health plans and providers who use Epic to review patient data, streamline ad- ministrative processes such as prior authorizations and paying claims, and oversee care management strategies. 3. The Payer Platform will launch later this year for select providers and health systems across HCSC's five states who already use Epic, according to the June 17 news release emailed to Becker's Hospital Review. HCSC comprises nearly 16 million members in its health plans in Illinois, Mon- tana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. "This relationship connects the provider, the payer, and the patient in a trusted network," said Alan Hutchison, population health vice president at Epic. "It will enable a more robust, data-driven approach to improving patient health." n Congress introduces bill to makes CARES Act telehealth coverage permanent By Katie Adams T he House of Representatives introduced June 25 the Advancing Telehealth Be- yond COVID-19 Act, a bill calling for the permanence of telehealth regulations intro- duced in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Eco- nomic Security Act. Before the pandemic, Medicare beneficiaries could only utilize telehealth services if there was a physician shortage, and this could only be done at a designated "originating site." If passed, the bill will allow the HHS to waive these requirements beyond the emergency pe- riod specified in the CARES Act. e proposed legislation would also li restric- tions that make it harder for healthcare provid- ers to offer patients access to connected devic- es and instate permanent telehealth coverage at federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Greg Gian- forte, R-Mont., David Kustoff, R-Tenn., and Jason Smith, R-Mo., are co-sponsors of the legislation. "Congress has worked with the Trump admin- istration to remove many of the barriers that prevented seniors from utilizing telehealth services from the safety of their homes," Ms. Cheney said. "As a result, telehealth use among seniors has continued to rise and this legislation would continue this successful trend well aer the pandemic is over, while allowing Medicare to adapt to the ever-changing innovation in medical technology." e bill has garnered support from prominent figures in healthcare, such as the American Medical Association, Apple, Bose, Boston Chil- dren's Hospital, Intel, Kaia Health, Microso, UnitedHealth and Washington, D.C.-based George Washington University Hospital. n

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