GPs told to ‘prescribe and dispense as usual’ amid data breach

The RACGP has attended a briefing for health industry experts with the National Office of Cyber Security (NOSC) regarding the national response following the MediSecure data breach.
 
During the meeting on Friday morning, it was confirmed the current MediSecure prescription delivery service is not affected, and customers can still access medicines safely.
 
GPs and healthcare providers can still prescribe and dispense as usual.
 
On the basis of technical advice from MediSecure to date, the original compromise has been isolated.
 
The incident does not relate to the eRX Script Exchange or the National Prescription Delivery Service, which are operating as normal.
 
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said the college is being kept up to date on the incident and will communicate any changes with members.
 
‘Patients can continue to access medicines safely, and GPs can still prescribe and dispense as usual,’ she said.
 
According to the National Cyber Security Coordinator, which is leading the response, the information currently available to the Federal Government is that no current ePrescriptions have been ‘impacted or accessed’.
 
‘There is no evidence to suggest an increased cyber threat to the medical sector,’ it reads.
 
The statement says they are still working to build a picture of the size and nature of the data that has been impacted.

‘This discovery work often takes time and I understand Australians are anxious about the possibility of their personal information being affected,’ it says.
 
MediSecure has issued a statement on its website on the cyber security incident ‘impacting the personal and health information of individuals’.
 
‘We have taken immediate steps to mitigate any potential impact on our systems,’ it says.
 
‘While we continue to gather more information, early indicators suggest the incident originated from one of our third-party vendors.’
 
Updated public communications will be provided by the NOSC and the Federal Government is working urgently to develop further public advice.
 
The RACGP will be informed of the ongoing response and will advise members accordingly.
 
Log in below to join the conversation.

cyber security data breach ePrescriptions MediSecure