Spencer Fane attorney Christine Chasse recently authored an article, “Hospitals Must Adapt to Growing Cybercrime Threats,” featured in Law360. In it, she addresses industry rates of cybercrime, the impact breaches have on health care systems, potential legal penalties, and tips for safeguarding and conducting due diligence.
Christine, a Certified Information Privacy Professional and registered nurse, directly experienced the sharp rise in cybercrime as a nurse in the early 2010s and works extensively in her current practice to help health care clients both prevent and respond to cybersecurity threats. She notes hospital data breaches not only carry explicit costs for health care systems and can delay patient care but are also subject to additional government investigations and civil or even criminal penalties.
“Resolving the breach and getting back online are the immediate hurdle,” Christine explains. “The HHS Office for Civil Rights may also prompt investigations into the matter, to the chagrin and surprise of the health care organization.”
At the firm, Christine collaborates with small and large institutions in industries such as health care, finance, and education to assess and successfully resolve claims of professional liability, malpractice liability, premises liability, and wrongful death for hospital systems, providers, skilled nursing facilities, and stand-alone emergency rooms. Additionally, she guides her clients through cybersecurity, data privacy, and cyber incident response matters, including potential HIPAA breaches and data security incidents.
Read the full article in Law360 here. Please note, a subscription may be required.
