IHA Daily Briefing: April 8

Report: Healthcare Remains Sector Most Affected by Ransomware Demands
Healthcare remains the industry with the highest number of data breaches, according to BakerHostetler's Data Security Incident Response Report. Analyzing 1,250 cyber incidents handled by the law firm in 2025, the company found that the initial ransom demand in healthcare averaged $18.2 million, nearly six times more than the next-closest industry. More than a third of the healthcare hackers originated with third-party venders, compared to 25% across other industries.

An average of 357,020 individuals per healthcare hack were notified that their data was breached, though the largest represented 3.4 million people. On average, it took healthcare organizations 12.7 days to restore data after a ransomware attack, with forensic investigations costing an average of nearly $40,000. Thirty-one of the 68 incidents that resulted in one or more lawsuits filed involved healthcare, and 44 of the incidents involved medical/health information.

New SAMHSA Resource: Dually Enrolled Medicaid and Medicare Beneficiaries
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Financing Reform and Innovation (CFRI) has released a new report on Dually Enrolled Medicaid and Medicare Beneficiaries: Publicly Available Databases and Tools to Improve Understanding and Provide Relevant Services. The report and accompanying webinar provide a guide to publicly accessible data sources to support research and improve data-driven decision-making for individuals dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Expanding research on this population, who face unique health challenges including high rates of chronic health conditions, can help strengthen access to coordinated care, and improve health outcomes while reducing costs. Click here to view the report, webinar and webinar slides.

Attorney General Warns of Investment Scams Posted on Meta Platforms
Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week issued an investor alert to warn Illinoisans about the prevalence of fraudulent investment schemes proliferating across Meta platforms, including on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Scammers are increasingly using deceptive advertisements and "deepfake" technology to lure investors into high-stakes scams to defraud them of their savings. These scams include "pump and dump" scams, confidence scams and fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes that take advantage of victims to extract as much money from them as possible. Click here to view the alert, with tips for Illinoisans to protect themselves from scams.

IDOR Urges Taxpayers to Act Now Ahead of April 15 Filing Deadline
With the April 15 deadline quickly approaching, the Illinois Dept. of Revenue (IDOR) is encouraging taxpayers to file their 2025 state individual income tax returns as soon as possible and avoid waiting until the last minute, especially if filing by mail. The Department emphasized filing electronically is the fastest, most reliable way to have your return processed.

In addition to the free filing of Form IL-1040 through My Tax Illinois, individuals may also utilize the site to make payments, respond to department inquiries, and check the status of refunds using the Where's My Refund? link. Taxpayers may also look up IL-PINs, amounts of any estimated tax payments made, and when necessary, amounts reported on Form 1099-G with MyTax Illinois. Taxpayers may choose to file using commercial tax preparation software, My Tax Illinois or a tax professional, or submitting paper Form IL 1040.

IDOR is also reminding taxpayers that recent changes announced by the United States Postal Service (USPS) could impact how tax filings are processed. Under updated USPS procedures, the postmark will reflect the date of the first automated processing operation rather than the date a piece of mail is dropped off at a local post office.

The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.

Briefly Noted

Leading the News

Court vacates 340B policy on hospital drug purchasing: 6 things to know

Becker's Hospital Review

A federal court has struck down a 12-year-old Health Resources and Services Administration policy that restricted how certain 340B hospitals could make initial drug purchases, finding that the agency failed to adequately explain its reasoning when the rule was issued.

SSM Health to open $150M children's hospital

Becker's Hospital Review

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation has launched the public phase of its fundraising campaign for the St. Louis-based system's planned $150 million children's hospital.

SIH Memorial Hospital marks 14 years of top heart attack care recognition

WSIU

SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale is once again being recognized for life-saving heart care, earning its 14th consecutive Platinum Performance Achievement Award from the American College of Cardiology.