When it comes to data breaches, the healthcare sector is far from the worst industry affected. But it still has experienced hundreds of troubling data leaks — including the most expensive — over the past few years, a new report shows.
Protecting data security has become a growing concern within senior living and care and healthcare organizations in general, as telehealth and telemedicine providers have risen as strategic tools even after the pandemic.
In addition, tools such as artificial intelligence have become much more common in healthcare spaces to assist with administrative tasks, or, in the case of long-term care, help monitor residents.
Over the past four years, the number of data breaches in healthcare is less than half of some of the worst targets, such as the retail and entertainment sectors. Healthcare was ranked eighth among industries overall, however, according to the study, which was conducted by password management company NordPass in partnership with cybersecurity researchers.
One-third of the healthcare companies with data that were compromised were based in the United States. In addition, the United States had three times as many data breaches as the next-highest country on the list, India.
“In a constantly challenged cyber environment, businesses no longer have the luxury to store consumer data in plain text or otherwise neglect basic cybersecurity practices,” NordPass Chief Technology Officer Tomas Smalakys said in a statement. “To avoid financial and reputational risks, companies should ensure clients’ data is secured against online threats, even if the legislation is not there yet.”
Although it may not be the worst industry for data breaches, healthcare has incurred the most expensive leaks, according to another recent report from the Ponemon Institute.
Although at least one skilled nursing company, NHS Management, avoided a costly lawsuit on data breaches earlier this year, other healthcare companies have not been as fortunate.
PharMerica, which serves more than 3,000 long-term care pharmacy programs, was sued this year for failing to notify customers of a data breach in a timely fashion. In addition, four class-action lawsuits were filed against HCA Healthcare in July following a hacking event.
