Data Leak Costs Two Hospitals $4.8 Million

Recent settlements from the New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Columbia University Medical Center prove that HIPAA violations can be a significant burden on an organization's bottom line. After a doctor attempted to "deactivate" a personally owned computer from the hospital's network, the data for about 6,800 patients was accidentally leaked to the web, reports Computerworld. As a result of this data breach, the two hospitals agreed to settle with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a total of $4.8 million.