Sentara Healthcare announced data breach when one of its third party vendors suffered a cybersecurity breach. The incident affected personal health information. Vascular and thoracic procedures occurring between 2012 and 2015 at a Sentara facility where involved in this breach. Potentially accessed information includes patients’ names, medical records, and Social Security numbers.
“We assure our patients that we are committed to the security of the personal information we maintain and are taking this matter very seriously. To help prevent something like this from happening in the future, the vendor has informed us that it is enhancing its system security. In addition, Sentara continually strengthens policies and procedures and invests in technologies which protect our information technology systems.”
Sentara started the investigation by reaching third party vendor. It also called upon law enforcement. It has started sending and mailing advisory to affected individuals.
Facility suggested that the affected patients should check for any signs of possible fraud. Also, they are advised to review account statements and get free credit reports. Organisation has provided resources to help for future security.
“If you believe you are the victim of identity theft or have reason to believe your personal information has been misused, you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Attorney General’s office in your state. You can obtain information from these sources about steps an individual can take to avoid identity theft as well as information about fraud alerts and security freezes. You should also contact your local law enforcement authorities and file a police report. Obtain a copy of the police report in case you are asked to provide copies to creditors to correct your records.”
Sentara is one of the nation’s top integrated healthcare systems. It works on a not-for-profit system which includes imaging centers, nursing and assisted-living centers, outpatient campuses, physical therapy and rehabilitation services, home health and hospice agency, a 3,800-provider medical staff and four medical groups. It also provides medical transport ambulances and nightingale air ambulance.
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