At the end of March, Cambridge Health Alliance released a statement notifying patients that the organization experienced a protected health information (PHI) breach.
On January 31, Massachusetts Police Department notified Cambridge Health Alliance that PHI had been compromised, including some electronic files. Cambridge Health Alliance stated they immediately started their own investigation to look into this breach. They determined that at least one of the electronic files contained billing information from 2013. The billing information may have contained Social Security Numbers, patients’ full names, addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. It appears that no medical information was stolen.
Additionally, Cambridge Health Alliance stated that this breach did not affect all patients and notified the affected patients. Cambridge Health Alliance does not believe that the stolen information has led to credit card fraud. They have set up a dedicated call center to field any questions patients may have. They are also offering one year of credit monitoring to the affected patients.
The investigation is still ongoing and Cambridge Health Alliance is looking into how this breach occurred in the first place. Cambridge Health Alliance has retained a forensic firm to aid in the investigation.
Breaches can be expensive and cumbersome. It’s important to make sure that your organization’s systems are up-to-date and that you’re adhering to HIPAA standards.
To learn what you can do to help prevent breaches, join HIPAAgps today.
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