DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

TRICARE Investigates Beneficiary Data Breach

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Dissent

The TRICARE Management Activity is reviewing its data protection policies and procedures in the wake of a data breach involving personal health information of an estimated 4.9 million military clinic and hospital patients.

The breach potentially affects patients who received care or filled pharmacy prescriptions in San Antonio-area military treatment facilities from 1992 through Sept. 7, 2011, TRICARE spokesman Austin Camacho reported.

Other beneficiaries who received care elsewhere, but whose laboratory workups were processed in San Antonio military treatment facilities, also could be affected, he said.

Science Applications International Corp., a TRICARE contractor, reported the data breach Sept. 14. Backup tapes from an electronic health care record the military health system used to capture patient data since 1992 were lost, Camacho reported.

The exact circumstances of the loss are part of TRICARE’s investigation, he said. Those results are expected to be published as soon as possible.

The tapes may include Social Security numbers, addresses and phone numbers, as well as personal health data such as clinical notes, laboratory tests and prescriptions, he said. No financial data such as credit card or bank account information is included.

Despite the information involved, TRICARE officials estimate the risk of harm to patients to be relatively low.

“Reading the tapes takes special machinery. Moreover, it takes a highly skilled individual to interpret the data on the tapes,” Camacho said. “Since we do not believe the tapes were taken with malicious intent, we believe the risk to beneficiaries is low.”

As TRICARE officials investigate the incident, they plan to notify everyone whose personal information may have been involved in the breach, Camacho said.

TRICARE and SAIC are working together to come up with that list of names, but because of the number of people potentially affected and the need to review multiple databases, Camacho said, individual notifications could take four to six weeks.

In the meantime, TRICARE officials encourage people who suspect they were affected by this incident to take steps outlined on the Federal Trade Commission website to protect their personal information. They also can monitor their credit and place a free fraud alert on their credit for 90 days using the FTC website.

Concerned patients may contact the SAIC Incident Response Call Center at no charge, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time. Stateside, patients may call toll-free to 855-366-0140. Overseas, patients can make collect calls to 952-556-8312.

Source: American Forces Press Service

No related posts.

Category: Health Data

Post navigation

← Nemours Reports Missing Backup Tapes Contain Patient and Payroll Data on 1.6 Million
VA investigating 'inappropriate removal' of patient records from Haley →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Air Force Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Disclose Unlawfully Classified National Defense Information
  • UK police arrest four in connection with M&S, Co-op and Harrods cyberattacks (1)
  • At U.S. request, France jails Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin on suspicion of ransomware conspiracy
  • Avantic Medical Lab hacked; patient data leaked by Everest Group
  • Integrated Oncology Network victim of phishing attack; multiple locations affected (2)
  • HHS’ Office for Civil Rights Settles HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule Investigation with Deer Oaks Behavioral Health for $225k and a Corrective Action Plan
  • HB1127 Explained: North Dakota’s New InfoSec Requirements for Financial Corporations
  • Credit reports among personal data of 190,000 breached, put for sale on Dark Web; IT vendor fined
  • Five youths arrested on suspicion of phishing
  • Russia Jailed Hacker Who Worked for Ukrainian Intelligence to Launch Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • How to Build on Washington’s “My Health, My Data” Act
  • Department of Justice Subpoenas Doctors and Clinics Involved in Performing Transgender Medical Procedures on Children
  • Google Settles Privacy Class Action Over Period Tracking App
  • ICE Is Searching a Massive Insurance and Medical Bill Database to Find Deportation Targets
  • Franklin, Tennessee Resident Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison on Multiple Cyber Stalking Charges
  • On July 7, Gemini AI will access your WhatsApp and more. Learn how to disable it on Android.
  • German court awards Facebook user €5,000 for data protection violations

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.