Content by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

Trump FY 2019 Budget Would Slash ONC, OCR Funding

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 13, 2018

The Department of Health and Human Services' proposed fiscal 2019 budget again seeks deep cuts to two agencies responsible for health data privacy and security activities. What's the potential impact?

Aetna Breach Case Gets Messier

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 12, 2018

A case involving a 2017 privacy breach that has already cost health insurer Aetna about $20 million in legal settlements is getting messier. What new questions and lessons are emerging?

OCR's New Top HIPAA Enforcer Departs

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 9, 2018

Iliana Peters has left the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights just months after she was named to replace the agency's former top HIPAA enforcer, Deven McGraw. Is OCR experiencing a HIPAA brain drain?

Hospital Hit With Cryptocurrency Mining Malware

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 8, 2018

Do healthcare entities face a growing risk of being hit with cryptocurrency mining attacks, which have become more common in other sectors? A Tennessee hospital may be the first victim in the sector, and some security experts predict many more such incidents.

Partners HealthCare Breach: Why So Long to Confirm?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 7, 2018

A malware incident at Partners HealthCare that was detected last spring but was only recently determined to have exposed patient data illustrates that confirming a data breach through a forensics investigation can be difficult and time-consuming.

Behavioral Analytics' Role in Health Data Security

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 6, 2018

Healthcare entities are increasingly considering user and entity behavioral analytics tools because their previous breach prevention and detection efforts have fallen short, says security expert Mac McMillan.

Managing 'Shadow IT' Risks in Healthcare Settings

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 5, 2018

A new report from a Veterans Affairs watchdog agency on a guest Wi-Fi network that was set up at a VA medical center without coordination with VA IT officials to ensure security spotlights the risks and challenges that many healthcare entities face with so called "shadow IT."

A Multifaceted Breach Prevention Approach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 2, 2018

Protecting 4 million patient records from breaches takes a multifaceted approach, says Bredai "Dai" Snyder of Care Coordination Institute, who describes three of the most critical elements.

$3.5 Million Penalty for Five Small 2012 Breaches

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 1, 2018

In one of the largest HIPAA settlements ever, federal regulators have signed a $3.5 million settlement with a Massachusetts-based healthcare organization that reported five small health data breaches in 2012 involving lost or stolen unencrypted computing devices.

Allscripts Lawsuit: What Makes It Different?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  January 30, 2018

A class action lawsuit filed against Allscripts in the wake of a ransomware attack that recently disrupted patient care at hundreds of healthcare practices will spotlight a variety of critical security and legal issues, says Steven Teppler, the plaintiffs' attorney, in this in-depth interview.

Health Data Breach Tally Update: A Puzzling Omission

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  January 29, 2018

So far in 2018, 15 health data breaches have been reported to federal regulators, affecting a combined total of nearly 391,000 individuals. But why are incidents involving ransomware still so rare on the federal health data breach tally?

Allscripts Ransomware Attack: Lawsuit Already Filed

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  January 26, 2018

In the wake of a ransomware attack that disrupted patient care services for hundreds of Allscripts' customers, a class action lawsuit has been filed against the cloud-based electronic health records vendor for allegedly "failing to secure its systems and data from cyberattacks."

New HHS Secretary Alex Azar: Will He Shake Up Priorities?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  January 25, 2018

The newly confirmed secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, has the potential to reset critical national healthcare priorities and policies, including those related to security and privacy. But what action will he take regarding HIPAA enforcement and other issues?

Aetna Signs $1.15 Million Settlement With NY for Breaches

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  January 24, 2018

After settling a breach lawsuit for $17.2 million, Aetna has signed another large settlement related to privacy breaches involving mailings to its health plan members. The latest settlement with the New York state attorney general's office involves two mailings last year.

Blockchain in Healthcare: The Potential and Limitations

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  January 23, 2018

Blockchain holds potential for supporting secure health data exchange, but it has limitations that organizations need to keep in mind, says Intel's David Houlding in this in-depth interview on the technology.