Radiology practice reportedly working with FBI after data security incident

pA Pacific Northwest radiology practice has reportedly worked with the FBI following a recent data security incident ppMt Baker Imaging and Northwest Radiologists posted a notice of the matter on its website March 26 The Bellingham Washingtonbased group said it first noticed the network disruption around Jan 25 immediately engaging outside forensic specialists to help with the investigation ppWe are currently reviewing the types of information potentially impacted by this event the message said However NorthwestMBI has confirmed that a limited amount of protected health information may have been impacted in connection with this eventppPossible leaked data could include dates of birth Social Security and drivers license numbers and diagnosis details MBI said it has implemented additional security measures in its network and facilities and is reviewing policies and procedures pertaining to data securityppAlthough NorthwestMBI has no evidence of actual misuse of information as a result of this event it is always prudent to review healthcare statements for accuracy and report any services or charges that were not incurred to the provider or insurance carrier the practice said ppThe Cascadia Daily News first reported the security incident noting that MBI also is working with the FBI which isnt mentioned in the official notice Meanwhile Seattlebased law firm Tousley Brain Stephens has sought patients interested in joining a classaction lawsuit against the radiology group CDN said  ppMt Baker Imaging operates five outpatient centers around the coastal city near the Canadian border while physicians at Northwest Radiologists interpret the images The group has served Whatcom County for over 50 years employing 20 subspecialized physicians Northwest Radiologists also is a member of the Strategic Radiology independent practice coalition and services four PeaceHealth hospitals ppSeveral radiology groups have experienced cyber incidents in recent months including SimonMed Imaging Pinehurst Radiology Associates and University Diagnostic Medical Imaging East River Medical Imaging PC New York in October was ordered to pay 185 million to settle a classaction lawsuit stemming from a 2023 cyberattack ppMarty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012 with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Associations member magazine Modern Healthcare and McKnights Prior to that he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park Illinois He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic pp ppppNews of an incident is a stark reminder that healthcare workers and patients arent the only ones who need to be aware around MRI suitesppThe ACR hopes these changes including the addition of diagnostic performance feedback will help reduce the number of patients with incidental nodules lost to followup each yearppAnd it can do so with almost 100 accuracy as a first reader according to a new largescale analysisp