A California-based healthcare provider was the target of a cyberattack that led to hospital closures and redirected ambulance services in various states. The attack occurred at the Prospect Medical Holdings in L.A., which provides services for states such as Pennsylvania and Texas. They are now investigating the breach to determine how it occurred and how it can be resolved.
Cyberattack Incident Disrupts Organization
Prospect Medical Holdings has recently released a statement describing the data security breach. After learning about the cyberattack, the organization “took [their] systems offline to protect them” and began investigating the breach using third-party experts. It is of the upmost priority for Prospect Medical Holdings to not only resolve this investigation, but also address patient concerns regarding information security and modify operations so this does not occur in the future. The FBI has also announced a separate investigation into the cybersecurity incident.
Victims of the Cyberattack
Victims of this cybersecurity incident can report their concerns to a local FBI office or ic3.gov. However, the impacts of this breach on other healthcare systems cannot be understated. In Pennsylvania, the Crozer-Chester Medical System is currently forced to use a paper system due to the offline computer systems. Additionally, hospitals in Rhode Island faced severe negative effects due to this breach. With the increased number of cyberattacks occurring in the healthcare industry, it is crucial for hospitals to be on top of data security.
How AMC Can Help
AMC offers a HIPAA Regulations and Cybersecurity Training for Healthcare Providers 3.0. This course is designed to educate healthcare providers on maintaining compliance with HIPAA laws while outlining proper data and security protocols. In this course, you will learn:
- About HIPAA regulations
- About covered entities
- About administrative areas
- About breaches
- About the HITECH Act
- About electronic protected health information
Reference
CBS News (4 August, 2023). Cyberattacks cause multiple hospitals to shut emergency rooms and divert ambulances. Retrieved from: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prospect-medical-cyberattack-california-pennsylvania-hospital/
