Becker's Hospital Review

36 CIO / HEALTH IT PHI stolen from vendor in ransomware attack, exposing Humana and Anthem members By Hannah Mitchell T wo large health insurers, Anthem and Humana, began notifying members in October that their protected health information has been exposed in a ransomware attack on a billing vendor. ree things to know: 1. PracticeMax, a provider of billing and IT solutions to healthcare organizations, experi- enced a ransomware attack from April 17 to May 5. e company discovered it was under attack May 1. 2. PracticeMax hired a security forensics firm and retained legal counsel aer discovering the attack. e company regained access to its systems May 6. An investigation uncovered a server with protected health information was accessed and files were stolen. Exposed data includes names, birth dates and medical-related information. 3. Humana and Anthem use the vendor to share information with Village Health, a kidney care provider. Humana reported to the Maine attorney general's office Sept. 28 that 4,424 patients have been affected. Anthem reported the breach to the California attorney general's office Oct. 15, but it is unclear how many patients have been affected. n Walmart to deploy Epic EHR across health centers By Hannah Mitchell W almart Health will use Epic's EHR to engage with patients, payers and healthcare providers, the retailer said Sept. 27. Four details: 1. Epic's EHR will first be rolled out in four Walmart Health Centers opening in Florida in early 2022, according to a news release. 2. "Our vision to provide best in class healthcare, anywhere, anytime includes a seamless experience for our customers, healthcare professional partners and associates,"said Cheryl Pegus, MD, executive vice president of Walmart Health & Wellness. "Leveraging best-in-class partners like Epic and their technology platform will assist us in providing a unified health record across care settings, geographies and multiple sources of health data." 3. Epic will support all of Walmart Health's lines of business, according to the release. Alan Hutchison, vice president of population health at Epic, said patients will have a unified experience for medical, dental and virtual care. 4. In fall of 2021, Walmart made significant strides into healthcare. On Sept. 25, Walmart Wellness Day offered free COVID-19 vaccines and other immuni- zations at 4,700 stores nationwide. On Sept. 21, telehealth providers Doctor on Demand and Grand Rounds unveiled a partnership with several large employ- ers including Walmart, Target and Accenture, to create a digital health program that aims to reduce health disparities in Black Americans. n 6 things to know about 'killware,' cybersecurity's next big threat By Hannah Mitchell S ome hackers are adopting a "kill- ware" cyber model, which launch- es attacks on critical infrastructure with the intent to harm Americans, USA Today reported Oct. 11. Six things to know: 1. Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of Homeland Security, told USA Today he is worried about killware because it has the potential to kill Americans. 2. Hackers breached a water system in February that was considered an unsuccessful attempt to distribute contaminated water to residents in Florida. "[The] attack was not for financial gain but rather purely to do harm," he said. 3. The attack "should have gripped our entire country," Mr. Mayorkas told USA Today. 4. Mr. Mayorkas said it's just one in- dication that hackers increasingly are targeting critical parts of the nation's infrastructure. Hackers are targeting everything from hospitals to police departments without considering that attacks can be fatal. 5. Cybersecurity experts told USA To- day they are tracking similar trends as Mr. Mayorkas. Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure targets could lead to loss of life, according to the report. 6. Several patient safety experts told Becker's that ransomware attacks can be fatal for patients. As hospitals increase their digital transformation, hospitals become more dependent on technol- ogy to deliver patient care. When ran- somware attacks remove these support systems, it can put patients in danger. n

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