ANALYSIS: What a HIPAA Horror Story Means for Health Companies

The American Medical Collection Agency (AMCA) data breach saga unfolded like the ultimate HIPAA nightmare. The breach serves as a warning to HIPAA covered entities and business associates alike about the havoc a cybersecurity incident can wreak.

First one of AMCA’s largest clients, Quest Diagnostics, announced on June 3, 2019, that a breach of AMCA’s server exposed 11.9 million people’s protected health information (PHI). In the weeks that followed, 17 more medical companies that used AMCA’s collection services reported the same breach compromised another 12 million individuals’ data. With 24 million individuals affected and more victims possible, the incident is ...