NORTHEAST BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE CONSORTIUM

The Northeast Behavioral Health Care Consortium (NBHCC), based in Moosic, PA, experienced a significant cybersecurity incident that potentially exposed the private health information of its clients. This breach was reported on April 20, 2023, and was attributed to vulnerabilities in a third-party vendor’s software, potentially affecting information on 1 million patients[1][3]. The NBHCC is a non-profit organization that coordinates the Medicaid managed care program for behavioral health across four Pennsylvania counties: Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, and Wyoming, serving more than 195,000 members[2].

The cyberattack is part of a worrying trend of cybersecurity incidents targeting healthcare providers in Northeast Pennsylvania. For instance, the Commonwealth Health System disclosed that the computer network of a Scranton cardiology group was breached, compromising the private data of 181,764 patients[6][13]. These incidents underscore the growing threat of cyberattacks in the healthcare sector, which often involve sensitive patient information.

In response to the breach, the NBHCC has likely taken steps to mitigate the impact on affected individuals and to prevent future incidents, although specific measures taken were not detailed in the provided sources. Healthcare organizations, including the NBHCC, are increasingly at risk of cyberattacks, highlighting the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and the need for vigilance to protect sensitive health information.

For more information on the NBHCC and its services, you can visit their official website[17].

Citations:

1. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/northeast-behavioral-health-care-consortium-001400904.html
2. https://greenspacehealth.com/en-ca/press-release-northeast-behavioral-health-care-consortium-and-greenspace-health-partner-on-a-coordinated-implementation-of-measurement-based-care/
3. https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/northeast-behavioral-health-care-consortium-hit-by-cyber-attack/article_ec4eb4b5-7398-51d5-9a15-b706dc186082.html
4. https://www.beckersbehavioralhealth.com/behavioral-health-news/northeast-behavioral-hit-with-cyberattack.html
5. https://apps.web.maine.gov/online/aeviewer/ME/40/list.shtml
6. https://heimdalsecurity.com/blog/private-data-compromised-in-healthcare-breach/
7. https://sports.yahoo.com/records-more-181-000-patients-000400881.html
8. https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/databreach/list
9. https://www.hipaajournal.com/mailing-error-at-cms-vendor-affects-10000-medicare-beneficiaries/
10. https://www.hipaajournal.com/april-2023-healthcare-data-breach-report/
11. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/900214791/201610419349301306/full
12. https://www.defensorum.com/recent-data-breaches-reported-by-santa-clara-family-health-plan-and-other-healthcare-organizations/
13. https://cybermaterial.com/cardiology-group-data-breach/
14. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jacobpease_advisen-front-page-news-activity-7056637392203497472-4ah6
15. https://www.calhipaa.com/recent-cyberattack-and-data-breach-reports-by-healthcare-organizations/
16. https://breachdata.topwords.me/states/PA?offset=0&sort=breach_type
17. https://nbhcc.org