2 Texas Hospitals Infected With Malicious Code May Face PHI Exposure

Texas-based Baptist Medical Center and Resolute Health Hospital informed an undisclosed number of patients that its network was infected with malicious code, potentially resulting in protected health information (PHI) exposure.

The two hospitals, run by Baptist Health System, discovered the incident on April 20, 2022. After suspecting unauthorized network activity, the hospitals immediately suspended user access and put “extensive cybersecurity protection protocols” in place, the notice stated.

Further investigation revealed that an unauthorized third party accessed certain systems and removed data from the network between March 31 and April 24.

The information involved in the incident included demographic information, Social Security numbers, health insurance information, medical record numbers, diagnosis information, dates of service, and billing and claims information.

“We take the security of personal information seriously. As soon as the incident was discovered, a forensic investigation was immediately launched, law enforcement was contacted, and steps were taken to mitigate and remediate the incident and to help prevent further unauthorized activity,” the notice stated.

“In response to this incident, security and monitoring capabilities are being enhanced and systems are being hardened as appropriate to minimize the risk of similar incidents in the future.”