See recommendations below
On January 19, 2018, cybercriminals were successful in a ransomware attack on Allscripts, an electronic healthcare record (EHR) provider for healthcare providers across the United States. The attack encrypted some of Allscripts systems and prevented those healthcare providers who use those systems for their EHRs from being able to access their patient records. Not only is there the obvious impact this has had on those healthcare providers’ ability to treat their patients, but also, under HIPAA, the Office of Civil Rights presumes that all cyber-related security incidents where protected health information was accessed, acquired, used, or disclosed are reportable breaches unless certain criteria are satisfied. (See checklist in this post and this post for further explanation).
The Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT)’s blog post, Allscripts EHRS Falls Victim to Ransomware Attacks, goes into much greater detail in describing the facts of this event and what has taken place since the initial attack. The blog also provides an excellent analysis of the Business Associates considerations in a situation such as this and the post features several important recommendations for what practices need to do now from my friend and excellent cybersecurity and data privacy attorney Adrian Senyszyn (LinkedIn) and myself. So, what are you waiting for, go read the TMLT post … and hope and pray that you planned ahead and have cyber insurance!
See Also:
- Data Breach Incident Response Checklist
- Guide to Responding to Data Breaches and Reporting Cybersecurity Incidents
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Shawn Tuma (@shawnetuma) is an attorney with an internationally recognized reputation in cybersecurity, computer fraud, and data privacy law. He is a Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Attorney at Scheef & Stone, LLP, a full-service commercial law firm in Texas that represents businesses of all sizes throughout the United States and, through its Mackrell International network, around the world.
