By By Dan Hounsell

Cyber attacks on healthcare information technology systems skyrocketed in 2020 and have continued to rise in 2021. Now it’s not just the number of attacks that are alarming. The number of patients affected is starting to grow worrisome, as well.

Woodcreek Provider Services and Elara Caring recently reported healthcare data breaches impacting more than 300,000 patients, according to Health IT Security. The tallies are some of the largest that have been reported in the healthcare sector in 2021.

Woodcreek, a medical practice management company based in Washington, provides support to pediatric clinics and urgent care centers owned and operated by MultiCare Health System.

Woodcreek uses Netgain Technology to host its IT network and computer systems, according to its notice. Netgain notified Woodcreek on Jan. 4 that its systems had been compromised by a security incident, which led to unauthorized access to some systems.

The hacker gained access to the system in November 2020, but access potentially began two months earlier. Upon discovery, Netgain launched its incident response and recovery plans, notified law enforcement, and engaged with a third-party cybersecurity team.