Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1424600
63 CIO / HEALTH IT Ransomware attack wipes out Arizona clinic's EHR, corrupts 35,000 patients' records By Jackie Drees Q ueen Creek, Ariz.-based Desert Wells Family Medicine began noti- fying 35,000 patients in September that their EHR data was compromised by a ransomware attack. e clinic's IT system had been down since experiencing the May 21 ransomware attack, Desert Wells said in a Sept. 3 online notice to patients. Aer investigating the incident, the clinic discovered that the hacker who accessed its IT system corrupted its EHR data, making all records from before May 21 unrecoverable. e medical center did have the information backed up, but the hacker also corrupted that data, according to the notice. Desert Wells Family Medicine reported the breach to HHS Aug. 30 as affecting 35,000 individuals. Patient information exposed by the incident included names, Social Secu- rity numbers, addresses, birthdates, billing account numbers, medical record numbers and treatment information. Desert Wells said there is no evidence that any of the exposed information has been misused and that it is rebuilding patients' health records in a new EHR system. e clinic is compiling patients' data from other sources, including previous providers, hos- pitals, pharmacies, labs and imaging centers. "We recognize this is an upsetting situation and, from my family to yours, sincerely apol- ogize for any concern this may cause," Daniel Hoag, MD, a family medicine physician at Desert Wells, said in the online notice. "I'm sure many of you have been reading about other healthcare providers in the community, and around the country, that have been im- pacted by cybersecurity events. For our part, we are continuing to take steps to enhance the security of our systems and the data en- trusted to us, including by implementing en- hanced endpoint detection and 24/7 threat monitoring, and providing additional train- ing and education to our staff." Desert Wells also offered free credit and identity monitoring services to any affected patients. n California AG says some hospitals not reporting ransomware attacks By Hannah Mitchell C alifornia Attorney General Rob Bonta called on hospitals to comply with state cyberattack reporting laws because there were several unreported ransomware attacks, according to a Sept. 3 StateScoop report. Four things to know: 1. Mr. Bonta said in an Aug. 24 news release that he issued the guid- ance because there were "multiple unreported ransomware attacks against California healthcare facilities." 2. The bulletin said the effects of a data breach last much longer than the initial breach. Notifying patients in a timely manner allows them to mitigate the potential losses from the fraudulent use of the protected health information that hackers obtain in cyberattacks. He said healthcare providers need to meet their data breach notifi- cation requirements to protect the public. 3. "Entities entrusted with private and deeply personal data, like hospitals and other healthcare providers, must secure information against evolving threats," Mr. Bonta said in the news release. "Cali- fornia law mandates that data breaches impacting more than 500 of our residents be reported to the California Department of Justice. In addition, I implore all entities that house confidential health-relat- ed information to be vigilant and take steps now to protect patient data, before a potential cyberattack." 4. The bulletin was sent to associations that represent California hos- pitals, physicians and dentists. It also urged the healthcare providers to patch their operating systems regularly, install antivirus software, maintain data backups and have data breach response plans. n 11 Big Tech salaries revealed: Google, Amazon & more By Hannah Mitchell C ompetition for tech jobs is fierce as more companies focus on their digital strategies. Here is what Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook pay for IT jobs, according to a Sept. 13 report published by Insider: Google 1. Software engineer: $353,000 2. Vice president of engineering: $475,000 3. Senior vice president of engineering: $650,000 Amazon 4. Cloud-solutions architects: $90,800-$185,000 Apple 5. Marketing manager: $240,000 6. Marketing senior director: $325,000 Facebook 7. Ad-agency director: $330,000 8. Engineering director: $360,000 9. Data analyst: $111,000-$150,000 10. Software engineer: $118,000-$160,000 Microsoft 11. Channel sales manager: $250,000 n