Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

Executive Editor, HealthcareInfoSecurity, ISMG

McGee is executive editor of Information Security Media Group's HealthcareInfoSecurity.com media site. She has about 30 years of IT journalism experience, with a focus on healthcare information technology issues for more than 15 years. Before joining ISMG in 2012, she was a reporter at InformationWeek magazine and news site and played a lead role in the launch of InformationWeek's healthcare IT media site.

Allscripts Ransomware Attack a Reminder of Cloud Risks

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 22, 2018

A ransomware attack on electronic health records vendor Allscripts late last week is a reminder of the potential disruption to patient care delivery healthcare entities can face if a cloud-services provider suffers a cyberattack. It also points to the need for business continuity planning.

$17.2 Million Settlement for Breach Case Involving HIV Info

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 19, 2018

A mailing error can have huge consequences. Case in point: Aetna has agreed to a $17.2 million settlement of a class action lawsuit filed after a data breach involving HIV drug information that was visible through envelope windows on thousands of letters.

Framework Aims to Improve Patient Data Matching

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 18, 2018

A new framework aims to improve patient safety and data integrity by helping healthcare entities to more consistently and accurately match patients with all their information, developers Kirk Botula and Melanie Mecca explain in this in-depth interview.

Why Some Healthcare Entities Pay Ransoms

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 17, 2018

A recent incident involving an Indiana hospital that publicly admitted to paying a $55,000 ransom to unlock data following a ransomware attack - despite having backup systems - highlights the need to test data recovery plans.

What Makes ONC's 'Trusted Exchange Framework' So Complex?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 16, 2018

Federal regulator's recently issued draft for a "trusted exchange framework" aimed at propelling nationwide, secure, interoperable, query-based health data exchange is a complex proposal that requires careful analysis, says David Kibbe, M.D., CEO of DirectTrust.

'Hacking Incident' Impacts Nearly 280,000 Medicaid Patients

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 15, 2018

A health data breach reported to federal regulators as a "hacking/IT incident" impacting nearly 280,000 Medicaid patients in Oklahoma has experts wondering exactly what happened.

ONC's New Chief Privacy Officer: The Road Ahead

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 11, 2018

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's new chief privacy officer, Kathryn Marchesini, has a wealth of experience. But will the Department of Health and Human Services give her the resources she needs to get the job done?

Is ONC's 'Trusted Exchange Framework' Doable?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 10, 2018

While a draft "trusted exchange framework" unveiled last week by federal regulators includes proposed components that could raise the bar for the security of health data exchange, some experts caution that elements included in the final document should not be overly prescriptive.

GDPR: What US Healthcare Entities Need to Know

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 9, 2018

Under what circumstances must a U.S. healthcare provider comply with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, which will be enforced beginning in May? In an in-depth interview, regulatory attorney Stephen Wu explains the conditions under which compliance is required.

CMS: Placing Orders Via Text Not Allowed

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 8, 2018

Federal regulators have clarified that the use of texting to place orders, such as for medications or tests, on any platform - secure or not - is not allowed when treating Medicare and Medicaid patients. Security experts weigh in on key issues to consider when using texting for other purposes.

Analysis: Security Elements of 'Trusted Exchange Framework'

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 5, 2018

Federal regulators have released a draft of a trusted health information exchange framework with some detailed security components that go beyond HIPAA requirements. The goal is to advance secure national health data exchange so that clinicians have quicker access to potentially life-saving information.

Analysis: Substance Abuse Confidentiality Rule Changes

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 3, 2018

Despite receiving requests to better align a federal rule regarding the confidentiality of substance abuse records with the requirements of HIPAA, federal regulators only made minor tweaks to the confidentiality rule. Some experts say Congress would have to take action to pave the way for further changes.