Data Breach of 200,000 by Anthem Blue Cross

Posted June 25, 2010 10:06 AM by Jack Anderson CEO Compliance Helper    

Things are getting closer and closer to home for me.  I was having lunch with two data security consultants when one of them said that he had just gotten a breach notification letter from Anthem Blue Cross.  Sure enough when i checked the Internet the following story was there.

Published: June 23, 2010
> Updated: June 24, 2010 7:24 a.m.
> Personal data accessed on Blue Cross website
> By COURTNEY PERKES
> THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
>
> More than 200,000 Anthem Blue Cross customers this week received letters
> informing them that their personal information might have been accessed
> during a security breach of the company's website.

It is really time for the healthcare industry to get serious about compliance.  A good start would be getting the published rules for business associates as promised from OCR.  People have heard that there is a delay in enforcement and they are delaying getting started on the path to compliance.  Over 2.5 million breached records this year should tell us that current efforts are not working.