Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Notifies Patients of Data Security Incident

SEATTLE, Washington, Dec. 23 -- The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center issued the following news release:

As previously reported, on November 19, 2023, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center detected unauthorized activity on limited parts of our clinical network. Upon learning of the situation, Fred Hutch took immediate action to contain the activity, notify federal law enforcement and began an investigation with the assistance of a third-party forensic security firm.

The investigation determined that an unauthorized third party accessed the clinical network and obtained patient information from Fred Hutch systems between November 19 and November 25, 2023. The information involved varies by individual, but may include: name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, Social Security number, health insurance information, medical record number, patient account number, date(s) of service and/or certain clinical information such as treatment/diagnosis information, lab results, or provider name. Fred Hutch's electronic medical record system was not involved or accessed, and all Fred Hutch clinics have remained open and actively serving patients throughout this incident.

On December 20, 2023, Fred Hutch began mailing letters to individuals whose information was involved, and is offering complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services to individuals whose Social Security number may have been involved. Patients are also encouraged to review statements from their health insurer and to contact their insurance company immediately if anything is inaccurate.

If patients have questions, they are encouraged to call Fred Hutch's dedicated call center at 1-888-983-0612, Monday through Friday, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Additional information is available at www.fredhutch.org/data-security.

Fred Hutch greatly values patient trust and is committed to safeguarding personal information. We are continuously updating and enhancing systems to protect personal information and have implemented additional defensive tools and increased monitoring to help prevent events like this from occurring in the future.

Fred Hutch recommends individuals remain vigilant to protect against potential fraud and/or identity theft by reviewing account statements, monitoring credit reports, and notifying financial institutions of any potential suspicious activity. Individuals may also wish to review the tips provided by the Federal Trade Commission (or FTC) on fraud alerts, security/credit freezes and steps that they can take to avoid identity theft.

For more information about identity protection and to contact the FTC, please visit https://www.identitytheft.gov/#/ or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338). You may also contact the FTC at Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.

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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options while accelerating discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.

Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine's cancer program.

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Original text here: https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/releases/2023/12/fred-hutchinson-cancer-center-notifies-patients-of-data-security.html