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The Justice Department is starting a pilot program to reward whistleblowers who expose healthcare fraud schemes involving private insurance plans. According to an Aug. 1 fact sheet from the Justice Department, the program is intended to fill gaps in its existing reward programs. Under the program, whistleblowers who expose healthcare fraud targeting private insurers can collect a portion of proceeds if information they report results in a successful conviction. (Wilson, 8/1)

Healthcare remains the most expensive industry for responding to and recovering from data breaches, a rank the sector has held since 2011, according to a report by IBM and the Ponemon Institute. The average cost for a breach in the industry this year was $9.8 million, a decline from 2023 when the price tag reached $10.9 million. (Olsen, 8/1)

OneBlood, a blood donation center that services hundreds of hospitals across the southeastern United States, is experiencing a ransomware event that’s limiting the organization’s software systems. The nonprofit organization said it’s remaining operational to collect, test and distribute blood, but there's going to be delays in getting that blood to hospitals. (Luginski, 8/1)

A South Florida hospital put together a blood drive a day after OneBlood became the latest victim of a ransomware attack. "People should donate because one pint of blood saves three lives," said Reanna Clabon a clinical research coordinator at the University of Miami Health System. (Carrero, 8/1)