From January through October of this year, more than 38 million health records were exposed, lost or stolen, compared to just over 12 million throughout 2018, new research published in HIPAA Journal shows. The number of exposed records still falls short of the 2015 record of 114 million, which was largely the result of 2 monster breaches at the Anthem and Premera Blue Cross health insurers, accounting for 78.8 million and 11 million records, respectively.
With a total of 52 recorded healthcare breaches, October of this year holds the record for the highest number breaches in a given month. 28 of the breaches involved unauthorized access or disclosure, 18 were the result of a hack of IT incident, while the remaining incidents involved loss (3), theft (2) and improper disposal (1).
Read more: Over 38 Million Healthcare Records Exposed in Breaches Over 2019
