HHS OCR breach portal (HIPAA breaches affecting 500 or more individuals) Primary notice
Posted on the HHS Office for Civil Rights breach portal with a submission date of May 18, 2022.
- Organization as reported
- Bryan County Ambulance Authority, OK
- Entity type as reported
- Healthcare Provider
- Category as reported
Hacking/IT Incident
- Location of information as reported
- Network Server
- Submission date
- May 18, 2022
- Observed by BreachRecords
- 2026-10-18 16:15 UTC (revision 11451, row:2590)
- Archived copy
- Held in the private archive (provenance)
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement with Bryan County Ambulance Authority (BCAA), a provider of emergency medical services in Oklahoma for a potential violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule. The settlement resolves an investigation concerning a ransomware attack on BCAA's information systems. Ransomware and hacking are the primary cyberthreats in health care. Since 2018, there has been a 264% increase in large breaches reported to OCR involving ransomware attacks. The settlement also marks the first enforcement action in OCR's Risk Analysis Initiative. This enforcement initiative was created to focus select investigations on compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule Risk Analysis provision, a key Security Rule requirement, and the foundation for effective cybersecurity and the protection of electronic protected health information (ePHI). OCR enforces the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, which set forth the requirements that covered entities (health plans, health care clearinghouses, and most health care providers) and business associates must follow to protect the privacy and security of protected health information. The HIPAA Security Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals' ePHI that is created, received, used, or maintained by a covered entity or business associate. It also requires appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and security of ePHI. The settlement resolves OCR's investigation concerning BCAA and this ransomware attack. In May 2022, OCR received a breach report concerning a ransomware incident that encrypted files on BCAA's network. BCAA determined that the encrypted files affected the protected health information of 14,273 patients. OCR's investigation determined that BCAA had failed to conduct a compliant…