More than 40 million Americans' medical records have been stolen or exposed so far this year because of security vulnerabilities in electronic health care systems, a USA TODAY analysis of Health and Human Services data found.
And the problem is steadily worsening. From 2010 to 2014, the first five years that data was collected, close to 50 million people had their medical data stolen. In the following five years, that number quadrupled. And health privacy breaches have continued to grow on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Federal law strictly prohibits medical institutions — hospitals, insurance companies and outpatient clinics — from sharing patient information, and requires that companies take steps to shield sensitive data from prying eyes.
How do health care data breaches happen?
More vulnerabilities have emerged as health care providers shift their records online and fail to protect legacy systems. Hacking accounts for about half of all security breaches, while about one-third are caused by employee errors, such as lost computers or accidental disclosures, our analysis shows.
Bad actors often use private health information to target victims with scams that exploit their medical conditions. Criminals can also create fraudulent insurance claims to traffic drugs and buy or sell faulty medical devices.
Has your health care provider had a data breach?
Health care providers are required by law to report to Health and Human Services any security breaches that expose patient information. Using those records, USA TODAY built a searchable database of health care data breaches going back to 2009. Reporters analyzed 13 years of data and researched security vulnerabilities at health care companies across the nation. Our database updates daily.
Enter the company's name in the database and click "Search."
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