Oh my. Another Bizmatics, Inc. client has been first notifying patients of the 2015 breach discovered at the end of 2015. This time it’s Uncommon Care, PA in Texas, and they had to notify 13,674 patients.
Uncommon Care, PA is committed to protecting patient information. This commitment includes notifying patients if there is a possibility that someone may have obtained access to their information. Uncommon Care uses a company called Bizmatics, Inc. to electronically store the medical information of our patients. We were informed by Bizmatics that in 2015 there had been an unauthorized access to certain electronic medical records in their custody. Bizmatics, however, could not determine that the records of Uncommon Care patients were affected.
We subsequently received a letter from Bizmatics in early April, 2016 stating that even after an investigation, they could not determine that the records of Uncommon Care’s patients were accessed or acquired by unauthorized persons, or used in an unauthorized manner. We had further discussions with Bizmatics, but as of May 28, 2016, they still could not determine if the records of Uncommon Care’s patients were ever improperly accessed. Although there is no evidence at this time that patient information, which may include name, date of birth, social security number, address, or medical diagnosis, was improperly accessed or used, in an abundance of caution we decided it was appropriate to post this notification.
As an added precaution, we have arranged to have Equifax Credit Watch Silver available to provide credit monitoring for 12 months at no cost to patients. Patients who believe they may have been affected by this incident, and wish to enroll in free credit monitoring should call 1-888-530-6783.
Patients may also choose to contact any one of the three major credit bureaus to have a “fraud alert” placed on your credit file and obtain a copy of your credit report. This alerts creditors of possible fraudulent activity within your report. It also requests that they contact you prior to establishing any accounts in your name. Once the fraud alert is added to your credit report, all creditors should contact you prior to establishing any account in your name. To do this, you can call one of three credit bureaus listed below:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA, or www.equifax.com
Experian: 1-888-397-3742; P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013, or www.experian.com/fraud
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA, or www.transunion.com
When you receive your credit reports, make sure that your personal information is accurate. If you see anything that you do not understand, call the credit bureau at the telephone number on the report. We advise you to remain vigilant by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports.
Additional information on how to prevent identity theft may also be obtained by contacting the Federal Trade Commission or the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
The Federal Trade Commission The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW 9001 Mail Service Center
Washington, DC 20580 Raleigh, NC 27699-9001
Telephone: 1-877-382-4357 Telephone: 1-877-566-7226
http://www.ftc.gov/ http://www.ncdoj.gov/We sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern caused by this incident. If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-888-530-6783.