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Second reported data breach in as many days prompts cybersecurity warnings, tips
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The health care diagnostics company LabCorp announced that “unauthorized activity” occurred on the webpage of American Medical Collection Agency, LabCorp’s external collection agency, impacting up to 7.7 million patients.
The breach occurred between Aug. 1, 2018, and March 30, 2019 and involved customers’ personal, medical and payment information, but not ordered tests, laboratory results, diagnostic information, Social Security numbers or insurance identification information, according to a U.S. Securities Exchange Commission document filed by LabCorp.
LabCorp said it has stopped sending new collection-related work orders to the American Medical Collection Agency and the company is to stop existing collection work assignments.
These reports come a day after Healio reported that the web payment page of American Medical Collection Agency’s operations with Quest Diagnostics experienced a similar situation, potentially impacting 11.9 million Quest Diagnostics patients.
AMA data suggest these incidents are not isolated. The medical society has previously announced that slightly more than 80% of U.S. physicians have experienced some type of cybersecurity attack, with the most common being phishing and computer viruses.
These reports serve as a reminder that the increasing dependence of the medical community on electronic operations has potential unintended consequences. Healio has previously reported on why medical equipment, physician practices and hospitals are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats and data breaches and how these enterprises can help protect their electronic information. A sampling of this coverage follows. – by Janel Miller
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