In 2013, 199 data breaches were reported to HHS, a 138 percent increase over 2012, according to a new report from Redspin.
"I think the 138 percent increase in patient records breached caught a lot of people by surprise," said Daniel W. Berger, Redspin's president and CEO, in a news release. "There was a sense that the government's 'carrot and stick' approach — requiring HIPAA security assessments to qualify for meaningful use incentives and increasing [Office for Civil Rights] enforcement initiatives — was driving real progress."
Since 2009, the protected health information of more than 30 million Americans has been compromised in data breaches. Seven million records were exposed in 2013, 4 million of which were exposed in a single incident at Advocate Medical Group in Downers Grove, Ill.
More Articles on Data Breaches:
Missing Hard Drive Compromises Information of 41k Unity Health Plans Members
North Country Hospital Suffers Second Data Breach in 4 Months
Kaiser Sued By State Over Data Breach Response, Settlement Reached