The Methodist Hospitals, Inc. — Notice of Data Event

2019 OCT 21 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- The Methodist Hospitals, Inc. (“Methodist”) recently learned of an incident that may affect the privacy of certain information and is providing notice of the event so that individuals may take steps to protect their personal information, should they feel it appropriate to do so. To date, Methodist has not received any reports that personal information has been misused as a result of this incident.

In June 2019, Methodist learned of unusual activity in an employee’s email account. Methodist immediately commenced an investigation, working with third-party forensic investigators, to assess the nature and scope of the email account activity. On August 7, 2019, the forensic investigation determined that two (2) Methodist employees fell victim to an email phishing scheme that allowed an unauthorized actor to gain access to their email accounts. The investigation determined that one account was subject to unauthorized access on June 12 and from July 1 to July 8, 2019 and that the other account was subject to unauthorized access from March 13 to June 12, 2019. While Methodist has no evidence of actual or attempted misuse of any information present in the email accounts, the investigation could not rule out the possibility of access to data present in the accounts. In an abundance of caution, Methodist undertook a comprehensive review of the data present in the accounts to confirm what records may be present. Through the investigation, Methodist determined that, while the information that may have been present in the relevant email accounts varies by individual, it may include: name, address, health insurance subscriber, group, and/or plan number, group identification number, Social Security number, driver’s license/state identification number, passport number, financial account number, payment card information, electronic signature, username and password, date of birth, medical record number, CSN number, HAR number, Medicare/Medicaid number, and medical treatment/diagnosis information.

Methodist takes this incident and the security of personal information in its care very seriously. Upon learning of this incident, Methodist immediately took steps to ensure the security of its email environment and to investigate the activity. Methodist conducted a comprehensive review to identify the individuals whose information was present in the relevant email accounts and is in the process of notifying those individuals of the incident to provide them with further information regarding this incident. Methodist is also reviewing its existing policies and procedures and has reported this incident to relevant state and federal regulators, as required.

On October 4, 2019, Methodist began mailing notice letters to individuals whose information may have been present in the affected email accounts. More information on resources and steps individuals may take to protect their personal information is being provided in the letter mailed to the home address of those individuals whose information may be affected by this incident. Methodist also is encouraging individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, and to monitor credit reports and explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity. Methodist’s notification to individuals includes information on obtaining a free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus by visiting ww.annualcreditreport.com, calling 877-322-8228, or contacting the three major credit bureaus directly at: Equifax, P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA, 30348, 800-525-6285, ww.equifax.com; Experian, P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013, 888-397-3742, www.experian.com; TransUnion, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016, 800-680-7289, ww.transunion.com. Individuals may also find information regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes and the steps they may take to protect their information by contacting the credit bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission or their state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; ww.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement or the individual’s state Attorney General. Methodist has provided notice of this incident to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as required state regulators.

Methodist has established a dedicated for individuals seeking more information on this incident or steps they may take to protect their personal information. The call center may be reached at 855-913-0610 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Central Time (excluding some U.S. national holidays). More information is also available on Methodist’s website at https://www.methodisthospitals.org/ or below in the “Steps Individuals Can Take to Protect Personal Information.”

Steps Individuals Can Take to Protect Personal Information

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