Cybercriminals Exploit Continued Healthcare Industry Disruption According to New Breach Barometer Report

More than 59.7M patient records breached as hackers redouble efforts in a challenging climate

BALTIMORE, MD, February 21, 2023 — Over 59 million patient records were breached in 2022 according to a new report released today, the Protenus Breach Barometer®. Published by Protenus, a healthcare compliance analytics company that protects patient data for the nation’s leading health systems, the annual Breach Barometer report is the industry’s definitive source for health data breach reporting review. 

In 2022, the healthcare industry remained altered by the effects of the pandemic and The Great Resignation, resulting in nursing turnover, ongoing short staffing, increased remote and hybrid work, financial pressures, and a high level of “mega mergers”. Threat actors have mercilessly targeted healthcare's vulnerabilities for years and the continuing industry disruption created opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit. There were 956 reported health data breaches in 2022, up 5% from 905 reported in 2021, however, the number of patient records breached increased 18% year over year to nearly 60 million.

To download the full report, or for more information, please visit:  https://www.protenus.com/breach-barometer-report

The Breach Barometer findings also note that insider incidents continued to be a risk, accounting for one in 10 healthcare data breaches. Insider behavior can, and often does, give outsiders a foothold for improper access to patient data and may have provided an entryway for the many hacking incidents that accounted for the majority of breaches in 2022. Records breached by insider error alone — not accounting for insider wrongdoing — skyrocketed 141% year over year.

Nick Culbertson, CEO and Co-Founder of Protenus, stressed the importance of mitigating insider risk, “A preventive, proactive approach is the only way to mitigate the significant breach risk insiders pose. Healthcare organizations need to look at whether they’re truly able to monitor every access to patient data every day. The financial cost of a breach is staggering, but the reputational damage and impact on patient safety will have serious repercussions on affected healthcare organizations and their patients for years to come.”

Incidents included in the analyses for this report were compiled and analyzed by DataBreaches.net, with additional research and analyses provided by Protenus.

Protenus’ AI-driven patient privacy monitoring and drug diversion surveillance solutions help hospitals and health systems ensure health data is safe and being used appropriately. Founded in 2014, Protenus was awarded Best in KLAS 2023 for both patient privacy monitoring and drug diversion surveillance solutions, named one of 2021 CBInsights Digital Health 150, is a three-time winner of Forbes’ America’s Best Startup Employers, and was named one of The Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare and one of the Best Places to Work in Baltimore by the Baltimore Business Journal and the Baltimore Sun.

About Protenus

​​Protenus harnesses the power of AI to provide healthcare organizations with scalable risk-reduction solutions that drive the safest patient outcomes while protecting the reputation of the organizations. We are committed to innovation, determined to reduce risk, and focused on supporting our community of employees, customers, and ultimately, patients. Empowering healthcare to eliminate risk is at the heart of all we do.

Founded in 2014, Protenus was awarded 2023 Best in KLAS for both patient privacy monitoring and drug diversion surveillance solutions, is a three-time winner of Forbes’ America’s Best Startup Employers, is a Great Place to Work®-Certified company, was named one of 2021 CBInsights Digital Health 150, one of The Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare, and one of the Best Places to Work in Baltimore by the Baltimore Business Journal and the Baltimore Sun. Learn more at Protenus.com and follow us on Twitter @Protenus. 

Media Contact
Amanda Rogers
Strategic Marketing Manager
amanda.rogers@protenus.com