Parkland Health data breach exposes sensitive information of over 6,500 patients
NORTH TEXAS (AP) — Whether it's where you shop, bank or browse, cybersecurity breaches have become an unfortunate fact of our online lives. But there's an extra sensitivity to the theft of medical information.
Parkland Health in Dallas is the latest to report a data breach.
"It's a huge problem," said Ben Singleton with NetGenius. "And the reason that we haven't really seen any progress in it is because there's no enforcement of cybersecurity requirements on medical providers." Singleton, a cybersecurity expert, said that this is not a nosy neighbor concern: the end game is likely fraud, and Medicaid is a prized target.
"And so these claims start getting paid," said Singleton, "and they continue using information that they've gathered from these breaches to file more and more claims. And that's essentially how they're using it."
According to a government report, every year an estimated $60 billion is lost to Medicaid fraud, with much of that traced to stolen medical records. Healthcare.org reported 725 data breaches, impacting some 120 million people.
As for the Parkland Health data breach, as required, a notice was posted on the Texas Attorney General website. According to the posting, 6,523 patients had names, dates of birth, and medical information compromised. In response to CBS News Texas inquiries, a Parkland Health spokesperson provided the following brief statement: "Parkland is still investigating the issue. We will be able to communicate more details once our investigations are concluded."
But experts said consumers should push for better protections industry-wide.
"It is their responsibility, once they acquire your information, to safeguard it. And they're not doing that," said Singleton.
Patients impacted by the Parkland Health breach will eventually be contacted. Until then, experts said that whether patients have accessed care at the Parkland hospital or at one of the many community clinics, they should be extra cautious of their financial health in the weeks and months ahead.
"It's important to keep an eye on your credit report," said Singleton, "as well as any Medicare or other health care bills that you get from healthcare providers or from insurance companies."
