Jessica Davis

An unauthorized user downloaded patient files containing personal information and for some, Social Security numbers. No reason was given for the delayed notification.

The hacker infiltrated the database of Cancer Services of East Central Indiana-Little Red Door, wiped the data from the server and demanded payment to prevent the data from being publicly released.

Peter Basch, MD, senior director of health IT quality and safety, research and national health IT policy for Washington, D.C.-based MedStar Health, has received the 2016 HIMSS Physician IT Leadership Award. Basch provides policy and clinical leadership for the post-regulatory optimization of health IT at MedStar and spends about 20 percent of his time as a primary care internist. Previously, he focused on EHR implementation and regulatory compliance, like Medicare e-prescribing and meaningful use. The award, which is jointly sponsored by AMDIS and HIMSS, recognizes a physician each year who demonstrates leadership in optimizing patient engagement and care outcomes by leveraging health information technology. Both of the organizations' boards of directors selected Basch as the recipient. "Peter Basch is a gentleman physician who demonstrates a perfect combination of clinical compassion, scholarly erudition and wonderful good humor. It is an honor and a privilege to call him a friend," said AMDIS Chair William F. Bria, MD, in a statement. [Also: Physician's IT Symposium at HIMSS17 to focus on interoperability, cybersecurity, precision medicine] "Peter has been highly involved with HIMSS and AMDIS for 15 years," added Pat Wise, vice president, health information systems at HIMSS North America. "He's a deeply respected thought leader and has been a significant contributor to a wide array of HIMSS' committees, task forces and work groups." Basch will be honored for his achievement at the Awards Gal on Feb 21, 2017 at the HIMSS Annaul Confernce & Exhibition.  HIMSS17 runs from Feb. 19-23, 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.  This article is part of our ongoing coverage of HIMSS17. Visit Destination HIMSS17 for previews, reporting live from the show floor and after the conference. Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook and LinkedIn

The settlement is related to the 2011 theft of a USB drive that contained the ePHI of 2,209 members from the life insurance company's IT department.

The acquisition will expand Auxilio’s reach into health IT security, while broadening CynergisTek’s current offerings, officials said.

The more advanced organizations are adjusting their security postures, with security leaders working more closely with executives, according to Hewlett Packard Enterprise's annual State of Security Operations Report.

We talked to four security experts to garner insights on changes that must be made within the healthcare industry to avoid repeating 2016's cybersecurity mishaps.

Our guide to navigating government and policy events at the 2017 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition includes a Federal Health IT booth and a wide range of educational sessions.

President-elect Donald Trump appointed former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani as an informal cybersecurity advisor, the presidential transition office announced Jan. 12. He also recently met with two contenders to head the National Institutes of Health.

After suing the two companies who claimed St. Jude’s cardiac devices had severe vulnerabilities that put patients at risk, the organization released security patches for the devices this week.