Proposal for Minimizing a Data and Security Breach
Scenario
You are the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Tyler Health Systems, a large, integrated health delivery system. Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of organizations reporting data breaches. Annual losses due to data breaches are estimated to cost the healthcare industry more than 10 million dollars.
Your organization is reviewing best practices and current policies to mitigate the risk of data breaches. You have been tasked with recommending an action plan for data breach prevention and response management in the event of a data breach. You decide that your first step is to research a recent incident involving a data breach and its impact on the affected health organization. While you believe that preventing a data breach is the best defense, you want to create an action plan explaining both – how data breaches occur and the consequences to the organization.
Instructions
Your report should include the following:
Name of an organization that reported a data breach in the past 12 months
Nature of the data breach (i.e., hacking, human error, ransomware)
Immediate actions taken by the organization
The outcomes (both regulatory and legal) – in other words, what fines were levied, and are there any pending litigations against the organizations?
A recommended action plan to prevent a data breach and a plan to manage your organization’s response to a potential data breach
Sample Answer
Data Breach Prevention and Response Management Action Plan for Tyler Health Systems
Prepared for: Executive Leadership, Tyler Health Systems
Prepared by: [Your Name], Chief Information Officer
Date: May 8, 2025
Executive Summary:
The escalating frequency and cost of data breaches within the healthcare industry necessitate a proactive and robust approach to cybersecurity at Tyler Health Systems. This report details a recent significant data breach incident, analyzes its causes and consequences, and proposes a comprehensive action plan for both preventing future breaches and effectively managing our organization’s response should an incident occur. Our primary focus must be on prevention; however, a well-defined response plan is crucial to minimize damage and ensure business continuity in the event of a successful attack.
1. Recent Healthcare Data Breach Incident Analysis:
To understand the real-world impact of data breaches, I have researched a recent incident within the past 12 months.
Organization: Change Healthcare (a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group)
Nature of the Data Breach: Ransomware Attack