News

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Medical information stolen in major cyberattack

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Medical information, Medicare numbers, consultation notes, referral letters and pathology results are among the personal information stolen from general practices across the country in a ‘very distressing’ cyberattack.
 
Partnered Health has confirmed at least 21 of its clinics across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory have been impacted.
 
The company, which owns 57 general practices and skin cancer clinics nationwide, confirmed that on 23 June it became aware  a ‘malicious actor’ had accessed its data.
 
Personal information, including health information, was taken from some clinics, including:

• name, date of birth, address, contact details
• Medicare, private health insurance, veteran card, and concession card numbers
• medical information and treatment details, consultation notes, referral letters, pathology or diagnostic results.

In response, Partnered Health says it took immediate steps to contain the incident and investigations into the ‘extent to which personal information has been impacted’ are continuing.
 
‘As a health services provider, we know our patients and our people trust us with personal and medical information and we sincerely apologise for any concern and inconvenience this may cause them,’ it said.
 
‘We are still investigating the data and do not currently know the extent of personal information that has been impacted.’
 
‘If Partnered Health becomes aware that specific personal information of employees, patients or doctors has been impacted as part of this incident, we will promptly communicate with the individual with information and to provide support.’
 
Dr Rob Hosking, Chair of RACGP Expert Committee – Practice Technology, told newsGP the attack is a reminder to GPs to review their security systems and ensure all software is updated.
 
‘The main thing is to remind our GP members to look at their cyber security and implement everything that they can at their level, and that includes offering training to staff and warning everybody about not clicking on links that might expose them,’ he said.
 
‘We’ve got to keep our systems updated with modern, good security … often, it’s a small-scale thing but still be disastrous.
 
‘It is part of our accreditation that we keep our records secure and know how to deal with things if they go wrong.’
 
Professor David Parry, Dean of the School of IT at Murdoch University, labelled the attack ‘very distressing’ for those affected.
 
‘The main action for victims now is to remain careful about your personal “cyber-hygiene” and be on the lookout for unexpected or suspicious-looking communications that appear to have knowledge about you,’ he said.
 
‘Another important message is not to be embarrassed if you think you may have been scammed – it happens to lots of people and it’s not your fault that people do these things.
 
‘Report it and take action straight away.’
 
Partnered Health says it has written to patients to ensure they are aware of the incident and has provided details of the additional steps they can take.
 
It is urging those connected to the attack to be alert to suspicious emails, text messages or phone calls, verify the identity of the sender before responding, and not to click on links or open attachments in messages that look unusual or unexpected.
 
The attack came just days after Bupa announced it will acquire Partnered Health and its network of healthcare services, which also includes allied health and mental health clinics.
 
The RACGP has a suite of resources to support GPs and general practices to bolster their security, including how to prepare for and prevent a cyberattack, and how to respond to a breach.
 
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cyber security cyberattack technology

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