Patients’ financial, identity, medical data stolen in breach, Broward Health admits
If you’ve been a patient at a Broward Health hospital or medical facility, your Social Security number, financial information, even the reason you were a patient could’ve been snatched in a data breach that the hospital system announced Sunday.
And, that information could’ve been out there on the data black market for two and a half months — Broward Health says the breach happened on Oct. 15 and the chain found out about it on Oct. 19. The Department of Justice and FBI were notified that day.
“The (Department of Justice) requested Broward Health briefly delay this notification to ensure that the notification does not compromise the ongoing law enforcement investigation,” the Fort Lauderdale-based chain said on its website.
Broward Health runs five hospitals, four outpatient centers and one urgent care center. The breach also involved employee information.
Here’s what you need to know:
What kind of patient information was accessed?
Broward Health said patients names; birthdates; driver’s license; financial information, including bank account and insurance coverage numbers; medical condition, treatment, diagnosis, history, record numbers; driver’s license number; email and actual address; and phone numbers.
In other words, almost everything needed for health care fraud, at which South Florida has long been the nation’s leader.
“This personal information was exfiltrated (removed from Broward Health’s systems), however, there is no evidence the information was actually misused,” Broward Health said.
What should you do now?
Check your financial institution account statements for unauthorized purchases or withdrawals. If you find any, contact that financial institution.
Check your insurance benefit statements. As mentioned above, nowhere in the United States does healthcare fraud flourish like South Florida. If you see medical services you didn’t receive, call your insurance company.
Check your credit reports by contacting the Annual Credit Request Service either online or at 877-322-8228. You can print out a copy of a request form, fill it out and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348.
You’re entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, each year.
How does Broward Health say the data breach happened?
Someone got into the Broward Health system while in the offices of another medical services provider that had access to Broward Health’s system.
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