Numerous privacy incidents at hospitals, IT suppliers and other healthcare organizations captured public attention last month.
While some security incidents only affected less than 1,000 patients, others were said to have affected more than 114,000.
Here are 17 healthcare privacy incidents reported by Becker's Hospital Review in December:
Editor's note: Incidents are presented in order of the number of patients or organizations reportedly affected.
1. Kansas City, Mo.-based Truman Medical Centers alerted 114,466 patients that their information may have been exposed.
2. Elizabeth (Colo.) Family Health began notifying 28,375 patients of a security incident that may have exposed patient information.
3. Medical billing and coding provider Healthcare Administrative Partners warned 17,693 patients of a data breach that may have exposed their protected health information.
4. Irving, Texas-based Choice Cancer Care Treatment Center notified 14,673 patients of a data breach that may have exposed their protected health information.
5. Officials from the Colorado Department of Human Services notified 12,230 residents that their information may have been exposed due to an error in its assistance programs.
6. Barium Springs, N.C.-based Children's Hope Alliance notified 4,564 patients of a security incident that may have exposed their protected health information.
7. Grand Haven, Mich.-based North Ottawa Community Hospital warned 4,013 patients that their records were improperly viewed by an unauthorized employee.
8. Conway (S.C.) Medical Center notified 2,550 patients of a phishing incident that may have exposed their protected health information.
9. Dixon, Ill.-based Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital began notifying 1,486 patients of a data breach that may have exposed their protected health information.
10. An employee at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital improperly disposed patients' meal tray tickets, potentially exposing some of their protected health information.
11. Georgetown, S.C.-based Tidelands Health had to restore its IT network and computer systems after being hit by a malware attack on Dec. 12.
12. CMS discovered a data anomaly within its Blue Button 2.0 application program interface on Dec. 4 that could have exposed members protected health information.
13. An employee at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota blew the whistle on thousands of updates to its computer system that have not been made.
14. The Cancer Center of Hawaii on Oahu announced Dec. 11 that it had to temporarily suspend cancer radiation services at two treatment centers due to a ransomware attack.
15. Greenly, Colo-based Sunrise Community Health notified an undisclosed number of patients about a security incident that may have exposed their protected health information.
16. Omaha-based Nebraska Medicine began notifying patients Dec. 3 of a security incident that may have exposed their protected health information.
17. LifeLabs, a Canadian diagnostic testing company, notified consumers of a cyberattack that allowed unauthorized access to its computer systems.