Richmond University Medical Center data breach affects 674,000
Potentially compromised information includes names, Social Security numbers, financial information and medical diagnoses.
Photo: Andrew Brookes/Getty Images
Richmond University Medical Center in New York has experienced a data breach that has potentially exposed the protected health information of more than 674,000 people in and around Staten Island, the facility said.
The initial forensic investigation determined Richmond's electronic health records system was not affected by the incident. But the investigation also determined that certain other files may have been accessed or removed from the network on or around May 6, 2023.
Once the investigation determined what files may have been accessed or removed, the Richmond team located a copy of each file and then undertook a manual review process to determine whether they contained any sensitive personal information or personal health information.
The manual review process determined that at least one of those files contained personal information, including full names, and potentially included Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, financial account information, credit/debit card information, diagnosis information and user credentials.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
Richmond University Medical Center said that, to date, there's no evidence of financial fraud or identity theft related to the data.
"We recognize the importance of protecting your information and deeply regret that this situation occurred," the facility wrote. "We are committed to maintaining the privacy of personal and protected health information in our possession and have taken many precautions to safeguard it."
Richmond recommended to patients that they place an initial one-year "Fraud Alert" on their credit files, which tells creditors to contact them personally before they open any new accounts.
People can also put a security freeze on their credit file, which prohibits, with certain specific exceptions, consumer reporting agencies from releasing credit reports or any information from it without the patient's express authorization.
THE LARGER TREND
A KnowBe4 report published in June showed that a surge in cyberattacks contributed to a steep rise in cyberattack costs for healthcare organizations, with the average breach cost nearing $11 million – more than three times the global average – making healthcare the costliest sector for cyberattacks.
Ransomware attacks have dominated, accounting for over 70% of successful cyberattacks on healthcare organizations in the past two years.
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
