Zenith American Solutions, a third-party administrator for the Sound Health and Wellness Trust, has recently notified individuals about a mailing error that exposed individuals’ Social Security numbers. According to the breach notification, a mailing was sent to individuals on June 24, 2022, advising them to complete their Personal Health Assessments or Health Profiles to enroll in the 2023 Health Reimbursement Account.

The file used for printing the mailing labels included individuals’ full Social Security numbers, which were printed in full on the mailing labels along with full names, postal addresses, and unique ID numbers. The mailing labels also indicated an individual had enrolled in the Sound Health and Wellness Trust.

Zenith American Solutions said it has implemented new quality control procedures to ensure there are no similar incidents in the future and affected individuals have been offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services for 24 months.

The breach was reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights as affecting 37,146 individuals.

Centerstone Reports Breach of Email Environment

Centerstone, a national provider of mental health, addiction recovery, residential care, therapeutic foster care, counseling, and crisis services, has recently announced that the protected health information of certain current and former Centerstone clients has been exposed and potentially obtained by unauthorized individuals.

Unusual activity was detected in the Centerstone email environment on February 14, 2022. Steps were immediately taken to secure email accounts by performing a password reset, and an investigation was launched to determine the nature and scope of the security breach. The investigation confirmed that three employee email accounts had been accessed by an unauthorized third party between November 4, 2021, and February 14, 2022.

A comprehensive review of the affected email accounts was completed on July 12, 2022, and confirmed they contained individuals’ protected health information such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates, client ID numbers, medical diagnoses, treatment information, and/or health insurance information.

Centerstone has reported the breach to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, but the breach is not yet showing on the OCR breach portal, so it is unclear how many individuals have been affected. Centerstone said it has implemented additional safeguards to better protect its email environment.

Southwest Behavioral & Health Services Reports Breach of Employee Email Account

Southwest Behavioral & Health Services, a Phoenix, Az-based provider of outpatient mental health treatment and psychiatric services, has recently notified 1,337 individuals that an unauthorized third party gained access to the email account of an employee. The email account contained individuals’ names, dates of birth, addresses, email addresses, resume information, medical diagnosis information, Social Security numbers, and phone numbers.

The breach was identified on July 15, 2022, and was confirmed to have occurred on May 5, 2022. Notification letters were sent to affected individuals on August 1, 2022. No evidence was found to indicate any theft of PHI; however, as a precaution, affected individuals have been offered a complimentary membership to identity theft protection services through IDX.

Southwest Behavioral & Health Services said further safeguards have been implemented to prevent further email data breaches and additional security awareness training has been provided to the workforce.

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Further information has been released on two cyberattacks on healthcare organizations: Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine and Behavioral Health Group.

Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine Notifies 363,000 Patients About Public Release of PHI on Dark Web

Carmel, IN-based Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine has started notifying 363,000 current and former patients that some of their protected health information was stolen prior to data being encrypted with ransomware and some of the stolen data has been published on the gang’s dark web data leak site.

The cyberattack was discovered by Goodman Campbell on May 20, 2022, and a third-party digital forensics firm was engaged to determine the nature and scope of the breach. The investigation confirmed that the electronic medical record system was not affected, but files containing patients’ protected health information had been exfiltrated from its systems. The stolen files contained information such as names, birthdates, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, medical record numbers, patient account numbers, diagnosis and treatment information, physician names, insurance information, dates of service, and Social Security numbers.

The attack caused disruption to its IT and phone systems. In a June 17, 2022, update on the attack, Goodman Campbell said that its phone system had been restored, but its email system remained down. In a July 19, 2022, update, Goodman Campbell said all clinical operations had been resumed and all communication systems had been restored.

While not confirmed by Goodman Campbell, the attack was conducted by the Hive ransomware operation, which has attacked many healthcare providers in the United States. Goodman Campbell said that the data was available on the dark web site for a period of 10 days. Data breach notification letters from healthcare providers rarely state that data has been made available on the dark web, even though patients should be made aware of the fact to allow them to take appropriate precautions to protect their identities. Goodman Campbell has offered affected individuals a 12-month membership to a credit monitoring and identity theft protection service.

Behavioral Health Group Confirms Patient Data Potentially Compromised in December 2021 Cyberattack

Behavioral Health Group (BHG), the operator of more than 80 outpatient opioid treatment centers in 17 U.S. states, has recently confirmed that it suffered a data security incident in 2021. The cyberattack forced BHG to take its systems offline, which caused disruption to operations for almost a week. BHG explained at the time that patients at some of its clinics were prevented from receiving their prescribed take-home methadone/suboxone doses; however, treatments were provided daily at its clinics. BHG did not disclose the exact nature of the cyberattack and if ransomware was used.

According to the BHG substitute breach notice, third-party cybersecurity experts were engaged to assist with the investigation and it was confirmed that unauthorized individuals removed certain files from its systems on December 5, 2021. The breach notice does not state when access to its network was first gained.

A comprehensive review of files on the parts of the network that were accessed confirmed they contained full names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, state identification numbers, financial account information, payment card information, passport numbers, biometrics, health insurance information, medical diagnosis and treatment information, medications, dates of service, and medical record numbers.

BHG said it has found no evidence to suggest any misuse of the above information but has offered complimentary credit monitoring services to individuals whose Social Security numbers were potentially compromised.

The incident has not yet appeared on the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights breach portal, so it is unclear how many individuals have been affected. BHG said the breach did not affect all patients.

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First Choice Community Healthcare in Albuquerque, NM, has started notifying certain patients that an unauthorized individual gained access to its network and potentially stole patient data. In a substitute breach notification, First Choice explained that unusual activity was detected within its technological environment on March 27, 2022. A third-party cybersecurity firm was engaged to conduct a forensic investigation and determine the nature and scope of the breach. While it was not possible to confirm if any files had been accessed or exfiltrated, the possibility could not be ruled out.

A comprehensive review of the affected files was completed on June 3, 2022, which confirmed that the following information had potentially been compromised: names, Social Security numbers, First Choice patient ID number, diagnosis, and clinical treatment information, medications, dates of service, health insurance information, medical record number, patient account number, date of birth, and provider information. Affected individuals were notified about the breach by mail on August 1, 2022, and have been offered complimentary identity theft protection services through IDX.

The incident has yet to appear on the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights website, so it is currently unclear how many individuals have been affected.

Arlington Skin Notifies 17,468 Patients About Electronic Medical Record Data Breach

Dr. Michelle A. Rivera, MD, doing business as Arlington Skin in Virginia, has started notifying 17,468 patients that their protected health information may have been accessed by unauthorized individuals in a security breach at business associate, Virtual Private Network Solutions (VPN Solutions).

VPN Solutions managed the electronic medical records of patients of Arlington Skin via the Allscripts practice management solution and electronic medical records platform. The cyberattack was discovered by VPN Solutions on or around October 31, 2021, and the forensic investigation confirmed that the information potentially compromised in the attack included names, addresses, dates of birth, diagnostic and treatment information, health insurance information, and Social Security numbers.

Notification letters started to be sent to affected individuals on July 8, 2022. No evidence of data theft was found but, as a precaution, fraud assistance and remediation services have been provided to affected individuals through CyberScout.

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The Oklahoma City home health provider, Healthback Holdings, has started notifying 21,114 individuals that some of their protected health information has potentially been viewed or obtained by unauthorized individuals. Unusual activity was detected within its email environment on June 1, 2022. A third-party cybersecurity firm was engaged to assist with the investigation and confirmed that a limited number of employee email accounts had been accessed by an unauthorized third party between October 5, 2021, and May 15, 2022, as a result of responses to phishing emails.

It was not possible to tell which emails, if any, had been viewed, nor if any information in the accounts had been stolen. Notification letters were therefore sent to all individuals whose protected health information was present in the affected email accounts. The exposed information varied from individual to individual and may have included names, health insurance information, Social Security numbers, and clinical information.

Complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services are being provided to eligible individuals. Healthback Holdings has strengthened its email security and further training has been provided to employees on how to detect and avoid phishing emails.

Hacking Incident Reported by the City of Newport in Rhode Island

The City of Newport, RI, has recently reported a breach of the protected health information of 6,109 individuals to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights. Unusual network activity was detected within its network on June 9, 2022, and certain systems on the network became unavailable. The forensic investigation confirmed hackers had gained access to its network on June 8, 2022, and removed files containing sensitive information from its systems.

A review of the affected files was completed on June 12, 2022, and confirmed that they contained the information of current and former employees and their spouses and/or dependents, including names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers used for direct deposit, and information related to group health insurance.

Notification letters were sent to affected individuals on July 22, 2022. Complimentary memberships to identity monitoring services have been offered to affected individuals and steps have been taken to improve the security of the network.

Minuteman Senior Services Email Account Accessed by Unauthorized Individual

Bedford, MA-based Minuteman Senior Services has discovered that an unauthorized individual gained access to an employee’s email account and potentially viewed or obtained sensitive information in the account. The unauthorized access was detected on June 1, 2022, with the forensic investigation confirming the account had been accessed for less than 24 hours.

In a July 29, 2022, substitute breach notification, Minuteman explained that the account contained information such as full names, addresses, birth dates, gender, health insurance information, diagnosis, and service utilization information. No evidence of data theft or misuse has been identified at the time of issuing notifications.

The breach has been reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights as affecting up to 4,000 individuals.

OrthoArizona Notifies Patients About October 2021 Cyberattack

OrthoArizona has recently started notifying 2,748 individuals that their protected health information was exposed and potentially stolen in a cyberattack that was detected on October 30, 2021. OrthoArizona said it quickly engaged the services of a third-party cybersecurity company to assist with the investigation but said the investigation and remediation process was “extensive and labor intensive,” which is why it has taken so long to issue notifications.

The review of the affected files confirmed they contained names, mailing addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and certain health insurance information. No cases of fraud have been identified as a result of the incident. Individuals who had their Social Security number exposed have been offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through IDX. OrthoArizona said it has reviewed and enhanced its data security policies and procedures.

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Fast Track Urgent Care, a network of urgent healthcare clinics in Florida, has confirmed that 258,411 individuals have had their protected health information exposed and potentially stolen in a ransomware attack on billing and practice management vendor, PracticeMax.

PracticeMax said it identified suspicious activity within its network on May 1, 2021, and confirmed that ransomware was installed on its network. The billing vendor was able to recover the data on its system on May 6, 2021, with the investigation into the breach confirming that its systems had been compromised between April 17 and May 5, 2021. A server used by PracticeMax and several email accounts were affected and data on its systems was encrypted.

The breach affected several of its healthcare clients, including Anthem Inc and Humana. The two health insurance firms confirmed they had been affected in late February 2022, with PracticeMax publicly reporting the breach in the fall of 2021. Fast Track Urgent Care said it was first notified about the ransomware attack by PracticeMax on May 10, 2021, but at that stage of the investigation, it was unclear whether the protected health information of its patients had been viewed or stolen in the attack.

On February 14, 2022, Fast Track Urgent Care said it was ‘first informed’ by PracticeMax that patient data may have been impacted, but PracticeMax could still not confirm whether customer and patient data had been accessed or stolen and that the investigation was ongoing. Fast Track Urgent Care said it took until June 6, 2022, 13 months after the initial breach, for PracticeMax to confirm that Fast Track Urgent Care patient data had been accessed.

Fast Track Urgent Care said the types of information compromised in the incident included names, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, treatment and diagnosis information, driver’s license numbers, birth dates, health insurance information, and financial information, and has confirmed that PracticeMax has offered affected individuals’ complimentary memberships to credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. Notification letters are being sent to affected individuals by PracticeMax on behalf of Fast Track Urgent Care.

Fast Track Urgent Care said PracticeMax took several steps to resolve the security incident and has reviewed policies and procedures and implemented additional safeguards to better secure the information on its systems.

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The health insurer Aetna ACE is one of the latest healthcare organizations to announce it has been affected by a ransomware attack on a mailing vendor, which involved the protected health information of 326,278 plan members. Aetna said the breach was limited to individuals insured under Aetna ACE, and that no protected health information of individuals served by Aetna or CVS Health was involved.

The ransomware attack affected OneTouchPoint, which provides printing and mailing services for U.S. companies, including billing vendors used by healthcare organizations. OneTouchPoint is provided with contact information and limited other data types to provide its contracted services. On April 28, 2022, OneTouchPoint discovered files had been encrypted on its systems, with the unauthorized access occurring the previous day on April 27, 2022.

Third-party cybersecurity specialists were engaged to investigate the security incident and completed the investigation on June 1, 2022, but were unable to determine which specific files were exfiltrated from its systems. Affected customers were notified on June 3, 2022, and OneTouchPoint worked with those customers to determine the type of information that could potentially have been viewed or removed from its systems. The exposed and potentially stolen data included names, addresses, dates of birth, member IDs, and limited medical information.

OneTouchPoint said it offered to send notifications to all affected individuals; however, some of its clients have chosen to self-report the breach and send notifications themselves. OneTouchPoint has reported the incident on behalf of 30 health plans and informed the Maine Attorney general that 1,073,316 individuals had been affected. Aetna ACE chose to self-report the breach. Other health plans affected by the OneTouchPoint ransomware attack include Anthem, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Geisinger, Health First, UPMC Health Plan, Blue Shield of California Promise Health, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, and other Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated health plans.

Aetna ACE is no stranger to data breaches at business associates. In 2020, a phishing attack on a business associate exposed the PHI of 484,157 Aetna ACE plan members. An employee of vendor EyeMed responded to a phishing email, which give unauthorized individuals access to email accounts that contained the PHI of 2.1 million individuals. EyeMed was fined $600,000 by the New York State Attorney General for security failures that led to the data breach.

Aetna also experienced another mailing-related data breach in 2017 that affected 12,000 individuals. In that case, a mailing was sent to members to inform them about different options for filling prescriptions for their HIV medications; however, window envelopes were used through which the HIV drug information was clearly visible, making it clear that the members were being treated for HIV or were taking HIV medications to prevent infection. Aetna was investigated by state attorneys general and settled the cases and paid more than $2,725,000 million in penalties. A $1,000,000 penalty was also imposed by the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, and Aetna settled a class action lawsuit for $17 million.

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St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, ID, has recently reported a data breach to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights that has affected 31,579 patients. The breach occurred in May 2022 at Kaye-Smith, the health system’s billing vendor, and affected patients that were billed that month. The breach was discovered in June 2022 and was reported to St. Luke’s Health System on July 6, 2022.

Unauthorized individuals gained access to systems at Kaye-Smith, which contained information such as patient names, insured names, addresses, phone numbers, ID numbers, dates of birth, descriptions of services, amounts billed, outstanding balances, payment due dates, account statuses, and the last five digits of Social Security numbers. Kaye-Smith is investigating the breach and is working with the FBI to better understand how the breach happened.

St. Luke’s Health System said it is no longer working with the billing vendor. The investigation to date has not uncovered any evidence to suggest there has been any misuse of patient data. Affected individuals have been offered a complimentary membership to a credit monitoring service.

Goldsboro Podiatry Notifies 30,669 Patients About Data Breach

Kevin Wolf, DPM, doing business as Goldsboro Podiatry in North Carolina, has recently confirmed that the protected health information of 30,669 has potentially been obtained by unauthorized individuals. The breach occurred at an unnamed service provider that maintains patients’ electronic medical records for the practice. The breach was detected on April 29, 2022, when certain servers used by the company were encrypted in a ransomware attack. The service provider confirmed in May 2022 that data on the servers had been accessed and was potentially obtained by the attackers. Goldsboro Podiatry was notified about the attack on May 20, 2022.

The information compromised in the attack included names, contact information, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, demographic information, medical history, medication information, clinical observations, diagnoses, and/or treatment plans.

Goldsboro Podiatry said its service provider has secured its information technology systems and enhanced its cybersecurity defenses to prevent future attacks and has offered affected individuals complementary access to credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

Allegheny Health Network Phishing Attack Affects Thousands of Patients

Pennsylvania-based Allegheny Health Network has recently confirmed that the email account of an employee has been accessed by an unauthorized third party following a response to a phishing email. The employee responded to the message on May 31, 2022, and the breach was detected the following day.

A review of the email account confirmed it contained protected health information such as names, dates of birth, dates of medical services, medical histories, conditions, diagnoses and treatment information, and driver’s license numbers. A subset of individuals also had their Social Security number and/or financial information exposed.

Allegheny Health Network said prompt action was taken to address the incident, including performing a password reset to prevent further unauthorized access. A third-party cybersecurity firm has also been engaged to help improve its security controls.

Allegheny Health Network has reported the breach to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights using a placeholder of 500 records until the breach is fully investigated and the number of individuals affected is known. Local media outlets have said around 8,000 individuals were affected.

Central Maine Medical Center Affected by Shields Healthcare Group Data Breach

Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) has confirmed it has been affected by a data breach at Shields Healthcare Group. CMMC was one of 56 facility partners to be affected by the breach, which affected around 2 million individuals, including 11,938 CMMC patients. Further information on the breach is available in this post.

Granbury Eye Clinic in Texas Victim of Eye Care Leaders Data Breach

Granbury Eye Clinic in Texas is the latest eye care provider to confirm it was affected by the Eye Care Leaders data breach, which involved the PHI of 16, 475 patients. The data breach is now known to have affected at least 39 eye care providers, with the breach total currently standing at 3,091,694 patients.

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