Health data breaches are surging. What to do when personal and medical records are exposed
Personal and medical information — including physical and mental health records — is increasingly being compromised in cyberattacks, with an average of 136,300 people affected per breach
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Updated: 4:09 PM CDT Aug 31, 2026Editorial Standards ⓘ
Katrina Ventura
Health data breaches are surging. What to do when personal and medical records are exposed
Personal and medical information — including physical and mental health records — is increasingly being compromised in cyberattacks, with an average of 136,300 people affected per breach
Updated: 4:09 PM CDT Aug 31, 2026Editorial Standards ⓘ
Katrina Ventura
NEW YORK —
Sensitive health information from healthcare providers, such as physical and mental health conditions, has been leaked for years, but recent years have seen an increase in the number of reported cybersecurity attacks
Among the most recent health data breaches reported by our National Consumer Unit was one involving Baylor Genetics, a genetic testing company whose hacking incident may have left highly sensitive medical information of 2.8 million people nationwide exposed
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2.8M affected in Baylor Genetics breach involving medical data
Health data breaches affect, on average, 59 million people each year, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights show
The Get the Facts Data Team analyzed over 7,800 data breaches reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
On average, a reported health data breach affects 136,300 individuals. The largest healthcare data breach happened in 2024, involving a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, which compromised the personal and medical data of around 192.7 million people. Reports from the American Hospital Association said the attack was by a Russian ransomware group
The majority of these data breaches are reported as hacking or IT incidents that compromise patient data, and the number of cybersecurity events is trending upward each year
Reported data breaches reached a record high in 2025, with nearly 800 reported to HHS
Data breaches increased sharply between 2018 and 2021 and have topped 700 reports a year since then
A large majority of these breaches involve healthcare providers, including some of the biggest healthcare providers such as United Healthcare Services, Aetna, Humana, Health Care Service Corporation and Blue Shield companies in California, Tennessee and Texas
What to do after a data breach?
Under the Freedom of Information Act and HHS regulations, companies are required to report breaches affecting 500 or more individuals to the breach portal and notify the affected patients and the media within 60 days of discovery
These cyberattack notifications may come as physical letters in the mail or digital alerts through your registered email address
If your personal or medical data is exposed in a healthcare breach, experts recommend the following actions:
- Freezing your credit files
- Replacing vulnerable passwords with highly secure passkeys
- Avoid reusing passwords across multiple accounts
For tips on how to freeze your credit, read more in this story from the National Consumer Unit
<img src="https://healthylife7.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/how-to-freeze-credit-thumbnail-textless-69a7092d1bd2a-2.png" alt="This one simple step can protect you from identity theft”>
Identity theft is on the rise. This one simple step can protect you
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