Almost 500,000 Individuals Affected by Designed Receivable Solutions Data Breach

Posted by Steve Alder

The Cypress, CA-based revenue cycle management company, Designed Receivable Solutions (DRS), has recently confirmed the details of a data breach that was reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights on March 23, 2024, as involving the protected health information of 129,584 individuals, and the Maine Attorney General as affecting 498,686 individuals.

On January 22, 2024, DRS identified suspicious activity within its network. Third-party cybersecurity specialists were engaged to investigate the incident and determine the cause of the activity. The investigation confirmed that an unauthorized actor accessed its systems and viewed and exfiltrated files from its systems. On March 8, 2024, after a time-consuming and detailed review of the files, DRS confirmed that they contained the personal and protected health information of current and former patients of its healthcare clients.

Following that determination, DRS has been working with the affected clients to review and verify the affected information and obtain up-to-date contact information to allow notification letters to be issued.  DRS said the types of data involved varied from individual to individual and may have included names, addresses, dates of birth, health insurance information, dates of service, and Social Security numbers. DRS has reviewed its policies and procedures related to data privacy and is taking steps to reduce the risk of a similar incident in the future and has offered the affected individuals complimentary credit monitoring services.

As OCR recently confirmed in a website Q&A regarding breach notification letters, HIPAA-covered entities are ultimately responsible for ensuring notification letters are sent to the affected individuals when there is a data breach at a business associate, but the covered entity may delegate the responsibility of providing individual notices to the business associate.

DRS is issuing notification letters on behalf of the following covered entity clients:

  • Air Methods
  • AMG Healthcare Management Services
  • CAN Emergency Physicians
  • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
  • CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, L.P.
  • Core Orthopaedics Medical Center
  • GEM Physicians Group
  • Marshall Medical Center
  • OptumCare Management, LLC
  • Redlands Community Hospital
  • Ridgecrest Regional Hospital
  • South Coast ER Medical Group
  • Southland Medical Corporation
  • Springhill Emergency Physicians
  • Sycamore Physicians, LLC
  • USC Arcadia Hospital (formerly Methodist Hospital of Southern California)
  • Valkyrie Clinical Trials, Inc.

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Patient Data Stolen from Livanova in October 2023 Ransomware Attack

Posted by Steve Alder

The medical device manufacturer Livanova, the Massachusetts community behavioral health center Aspire Health Alliance, and Santa Rosa Behavioral Healthcare Hospital in California have experienced ransomware attacks that exposed patient data.

Livanova, London, UK

Livanova, a UK-headquartered medical device manufacturer specializing in cardiac surgery and neuromodulation devices, has suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted portions of its IT systems. The ransomware attack was discovered on November 19, 2023, and the forensic investigation confirmed that hackers gained access to its network on October 26, 2023. The LockBit ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Livanova announced in a SEC filing in November that it was dealing with a cyberattack; however, it was initially unclear to what extent patient data was involved. On April 10, 2024, Livanova confirmed that the personal and protected health information of U.S. patients had been exfiltrated from its systems in the attack. In an April 25, 2024, announcement, Livanova said the investigation is ongoing however it has been determined that information such as names, contact information, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, health insurance information, and medical information such as diagnoses, conditions, treatment information, prescription information, medical record number, device serial numbers, and physician names were involved.

The affected individuals have been advised to monitor their credit reports and account statements and to be alert to unsolicited communications involving personal information. Livnova has arranged for complimentary identity protection and credit monitoring services to be provided to the affected U.S. patients. It is currently unclear how many individuals have been affected. In a February 2024 earnings call, the company confirmed that the company had incurred costs of around $2.6 million in Q4, 2023, as a result of the attack.

Aspire Health Alliance, Massachusetts

Aspire Health Alliance, a state-designated community behavioral health center with facilities in Quincy, Braintree, and Marshfield in Massachusetts, has notified 17,490 individuals about a cyberattack that was detected on September 13, 2023. Suspicious activity was identified within its computer network and a third-party forensic investigation confirmed that its systems had been accessed by an unauthorized third party that acquired certain files and data stored on its network.

A comprehensive review was conducted to determine the types of data involved, and that process was completed on February 26, 2024, when it was confirmed that personal and protected health information was involved. The types of data varied from individual to individual and may have included names, other personal identifiers, and Social Security numbers. While data was exposed or acquired, no reports have been received to indicate any patient data has been misused. Complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services have been offered to individuals whose Social Security numbers were impacted, and additional security measures have been implemented to reduce the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future.

Santa Rosa Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, California

Santa Rosa Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, part of the Northern California Behavioral Health System (NCBHS), has fallen victim to a cyberattack that disrupted some of its IT systems. The attack was detected on January 28, 2024, and a third-party forensic investigation confirmed that an unauthorized third party accessed its network between January 27, 2024, and January 28, 2024. During that time, files containing patient data were accessed or acquired.

The file review confirmed that the following types of information had been exposed or stolen: names, dates of birth, medical record numbers, services received, dates of services, treating physician, and for some patients, Social Security numbers and/or driver’s license numbers. Affected patients have been advised to monitor the statements they receive from their healthcare providers and health insurers and report any services they haven’t received. Individuals whose Social Security or driver’s license numbers were involved have been offered complimentary identity theft protection services. The incident has been reported to regulators but is not yet shown on the Office for Civil Rights breach portal, so it is currently unclear how many individuals have been affected.

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Email Breach at Wisconsin Dental Surgery Center Affects 13,000 Patients

Posted by Steve Alder

Bay Oral Surgery & Implant Center (Bay Oral), a network of oral & maxillofacial dental surgery centers serving the Green Bay, Marinette, and Niagara communities in Wisconsin, has recently reported a data breach to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that involved the protected health information of 13,055 patients.

On February 27, 2024, Bay Oral identified suspicious activity in an employee’s email account. The password for the account was immediately changed to prevent further unauthorized access and a third-party cybersecurity firm was engaged to investigate the incident. The forensic investigation confirmed that an unauthorized individual had installed software and gained access to an employee’s email account on January 18, 2024.

The review of the emails and attachments confirmed that patients’ protected health information had been exposed. The types of information involved included names, addresses, email addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, insurance card numbers, credit card numbers, banking account information, x-rays, patient health history forms, patient visit summaries, medical history questionnaires, and other types of patient health information that had been shared via email. The investigation could not determine if the unauthorized individual viewed or copied emails or attachments in the account.

In addition to immediately securing the email account, Bay Oral has taken several other steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. They include changing IT companies, implementing a 24/7 protection and monitoring solution, and implementing new policies and procedures to ensure that patients’ protected health information is not stored in email accounts.

Bay Oral said it is unaware of any reports of fraud or identity theft at the time of issuing notifications. The affected patients have been advised to be vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by regularly reviewing their credit reports, credit statements, bank accounts, and other financial accounts for unauthorized activity.

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