VibrantCare Rehabilitation in California recently notified 1,655 patients after an employee’s email account was accessed. They notified HHS on February 8 and posted this notice on their website:
ABOUT THE INCIDENT
VibrantCare Rehabilitation, Inc. (“VibrantCare”) is providing notice to individuals of an incident that may have affected the security of some information relating to certain individuals associated with VibrantCare, including current and former patients and employees. This notice provides information on the event, VibrantCare’s response, and steps individuals, in general, may consider to better protect their personal information.
What Happened? VibrantCare became aware of unusual activity involving an employee’s email account. VibrantCare immediately commenced an investigation with the assistance of third-party computer specialists. The investigation determined that an employee email account was accessed without authorization between August 20, 2019, and August 27, 2019. While the investigation did not determine that personal information had been accessed or acquired as a result of this incident, VibrantCare could not rule out the possibility of such activity. Therefore, VibrantCare immediately began a thorough review of the contents of the email account.
What Information Was Involved? The investigation determined that some personal information was present in the email account at the time of the incident. The information varied by individual but may have included first and last names and one or more of the following data elements: Social Security number, driver’s license, government or state identification number, military identification number, passport number, alien registration number, student identification number, demographic information, financial account information, credit or debit card information, medical and treatment information, health insurance information, Medicare or Medicaid number, patient number, Medical Record Number, and prescription drug information. To date, VibrantCare is unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of personal information as a result of this incident.
What Is VibrantCare Doing? Information, privacy, and security are among VibrantCare’s highest priorities. VibrantCare has strict security measures in place to protect information in its care. VibrantCare moved quickly to investigate and respond to this incident, assess the security of relevant VibrantCare systems, and notify potentially affected individuals. As part of VibrantCare’s ongoing commitment to the security of information it is also reviewing and enhancing existing policies. As a precautionary matter, VibrantCare also notified law enforcement and relevant regulators.
You can read their full notice on their website.