Radiology practice assembles skilled team to strengthen cybersecurity after data breach
An Atlanta-based radiology practice has assembled a skilled team to help strengthen its cybersecurity safeguards following a recent data breach.
Express MRI said Monday that it first learned of the incident back in July 2020, with an initial investigation uncovering unauthorized emails sent from one of its accounts. It initially found no evidence hackers obtained patient info, however, a follow-up review last month revealed hackers may have accessed, read or exported some sensitive details during the incident.
The company said it has taken “significant and immediate” steps to respond, putting together a team of experts to reinforce its information technology systems.
“Protecting our patients’ personal information is one of our top priorities in our commitment to providing you with safe, high-quality care," Express MRI CEO Alex Halpern said July 26. “We sincerely apologize to our patients for this inconvenience.”
Halpern and colleagues are also notifying patients with info on the incident, the provider’s increased security safeguards, and steps consumers can take amid a rise in breaches across the U.S. Express MRI emphasized that hackers did not access Social Security numbers, financial or insurance details, or patient images. Certain emails may have contained dates of birth, ages, referring physicians, body parts scanned, or whether it was related to a worker’s comp claim.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.