Cybersecurity

The digital security of healthcare institutions and data is a growing concern, with an increasing number of cyberattacks each year against healthcare systems, which are seen as easy targets. Cyber attacks often use ransomware to target personal health information, patient data and medical devices to cut off access to the data until a ransom is payed to the hacker. Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using malware, ransomware and spyware to attack outdated and vulnerable systems and software. Due to the interconnected nature of hospital IT systems today, the weakest link can be older web-enabled medical devices, including clinical and non-clinical systems. Employees are also a major target of attacks via malicious e-mails that prompt them to open attachments that then download malware onto the hospital's IT system.

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Chinese hackers use malware disguised as imaging viewers to steal patient data

The software has been primarily disguised as Philips’ DICOM MediaViewerLauncher.exe—a trusted program that enables patients to view their medical imaging on their own personal servers. 

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Radiology provider Akumin failed to protect patient info prior to cyberattack, lawsuit claims

Gina Letizio of New Hampshire and her attorneys filed the complaint Dec. 27, seeking damages in excess of $5 million. 

Key trends in enterprise imaging

Radiology is going though a period of disruption with a growing radiologist shortage, decreasing reimbursements and increasing numbers of exams, making workflow efficiency a critical concern.

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Data breach at Eastern Radiologists exposes 866,000 patient records

The imaging chain has three locations and serves patients across eastern North Carolina.

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Cyberattack temporarily shuts down UnitedHealth’s Change Healthcare

The incident began Wednesday morning, with system update trackers noting “connectivity issues” before later confirming it was in fact a cybersecurity issue.

Video of Isaac Zaworski, president of Sectra U.S.A. Inc, discussing trends in radiology informatics system at RSNA 2023. #enterpriseimaging #RSNA #Sectra #RSNA23 #RSNA2023 #HealthIT #cloudstorage #SaaS #radiology

Trends in radiology enterprise imaging systems

Isaac Zaworski, president of Sectra U.S.A., believes AI can help radiology providers overcome some of the biggest challenges plaguing the specialty. 

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RSNA 2023: Hospital imaging systems may be gateways for ransomware, expert warns

Cybersecurity consultant Richard Staynings argued legacy medical devices are inherently insecure—and likely to remain in hospitals for decades to come.

Video interview with Jom Kimerle from Pure Storage who shares trends in healthcare cybersecurity. #HIMSS

Trends and tips in healthcare cybersecurity 

Cybersecurity in the healthcare sector has been a growing concern, and medical imaging is one of the largest users of off-site cloud data storage.

Around the web

The ACR hopes these changes, including the addition of diagnostic performance feedback, will help reduce the number of patients with incidental nodules lost to follow-up each year.

And it can do so with almost 100% accuracy as a first reader, according to a new large-scale analysis.

The patient, who was being cared for in the ICU, was not accompanied or monitored by nursing staff during his exam, despite being sedated.