Becker's Hospital Review

78 CIO / HEALTH IT Georgia hospital probing cyberattack By Naomi Diaz Columbus, Ga.-based Jack Hughston Memorial Hospi- tal is investigating a cyberattack, its CEO said June 30. In an email to Becker's, CEO Mark Baker said upon learning of the incident, the health system began dis- connecting certain functionalities to protect against any further harm. There is currently no evidence that sensitive data was compromised as a result of the incident and patient care has not been interrupted. "We are taking this matter very seriously and continue to take significant measures to protect the personal in- formation entrusted to us. We are committed to main- taining the privacy of personal information in our pos- session and have taken many precautions to secure it," Mr. Baker stated. "While cybersecurity threats continue to impact all of us, we are taking ever-increasing mea- sures to protect the information entrusted to us." n Epic's revenue up 13% in 2021, hit $3.8B By Laura Dyrda E pic's revenue has grown double-digits every year for the last decade, including 13 percent in 2021, accord- ing to CB Insights and Forbes. Epic reported a 15 percent annual growth rate for the de- cade leading up to last year and then saw 13 percent reve- nue growth to $3.8 billion. Founder Judy Faulkner owns 47 percent of the company. Ms. Faulkner's net worth hit $6.7 billion this year, making her the second wealthiest self-made woman in the U.S., accord- ing to Forbes. Her net worth grew by $200 million in the last year, according to Forbes, and has rocketed upward since 2020, when it was $2.5 billion. Epic is also growing, currently supporting more than 250 million patient records. The company also invests 32 percent of operating expenses into research and development. n Former Wyoming hospital employee caught snooping in patient medical records By Giles Bruce A former Cheyenne (Wyo.) Regional Medical Center employ- ee improperly accessed patient health records between Aug. 31, 2020, and May 26, 2022, the hospital said July 6. ere was no evidence the ex-staffer retained any of the information or attempted to misuse it, the hospital reported. e viewing of medical records was outside the former staffer's scope of duties and was reported by a former co-worker aer the ex-em- ployee transferred to a different department, according to a July 6 Cowboy State Daily story. e breached data included names, Social Security numbers, and diagnosis and treatment information. e medical center plans to mail notification letters to about 1,600 affected individuals and has created an IT audit trail to see when and why employees are accessing records, the news outlet reported. "We want our patients and community to know that their personal health information, as well as their privacy, are very important to us, and we are constantly working to strengthen our operational procedures," Gladys Ayokosok, compliance and privacy officer for Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, said in a hospital news release. "We sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this incident has caused and are committed to working with any individuals who may have questions or concerns." n Amazon drops 100,000 employees in Q2 By Laura Dyrda Amazon ended June with 100,000 fewer employees than the company reported in the first quarter. Brian Olsavsky, CFO of Amazon, said during the sec- ond-quarter earnings call July 28, as transcribed by The Motley Fool, that the company hired a lot of people during the first quarter to ensure coverage while the omicron variant hit many employees. When omicron subsided, the company had a higher headcount position and Mr. Olsavsky said the company adjusted hiring levels amid normal attrition to resolve the inflated headcount. Amazon ended the quarter with 1.5 million full- and part-time employees, a 6 percent reduction from the first quarter. However, the company increased headcount 14 percent year-over-year, adding 188,000 employees since the second quarter of 2021. Mr. Olsavsky said the company is focused on creating a good workplace environment to attract employees in the future. Amazon reported $2 billion net loss in the second quarter, although net sales were up 7 percent to $121.2 billion and results were better than analysts anticipated. The company's stock was up 11.7 percent on July 29 after the announcement. Many tech companies are reducing their workforces and undergoing mass layoffs as compensation for IT profession- als increases with inflation. n

• Cover