DataBreaches.Net

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

Cook County Health and Hospitals System terminates relationship with medical transcription service, notifying patients of breach

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Dissent

On September 24, Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCH) in Illinois notified HHS of a breach. At the time, CCH reported that 500 patients were affected. The “500” entry is usually just a marker to indicate that the entity knows that they were required to notify HHS and individuals no later than 60 days from discovery of a reportable breach affecting more than 500 patients, but they do not yet really know how many people have been affected or need to be notified individually.

A notice on CCH’s website provides some details about a breach at an external vendor, Perry Johnson & Associates, Inc. (PJ&A). PJ&A previously provided medical transcription services for CCH.

On July 21, 2023, while still investigating their breach, PJ&A informed CCH there had been what was described as a “data security incident.” Their investigation found that in April 2023, an unauthorized individual had accessed PJ&A systems where CCH patient data was stored. CCH was notified on July 26, 2023 that personal information of CCH patients might have been affected.

CCH states that when they learned of the incident, “CCH stopped sharing data with PJ&A, and terminated its relationship with PJ&A.” CCH  states that they are one of many organizations impacted by the PJ&A data security incident, yet there is no notice of any breach on PJ&A’s website at this time and DataBreaches has yet to see any other breach disclosures naming them.  DataBreaches has sent an email inquiry to PJ&A seeking additional details.

On October 9, 2023, PJ&A provided CCH with the final list of affected patients. The types of protected health information appears to include names, and some combination of the following: dates of birth, addresses, medical record numbers, encounter numbers, medical information, dates/times of service and, in some records, Social Security numbers.

CCH states that they are reviewing the information and will be notifying impacted individuals as soon as possible. Their full notice can be found at https://cookcountyhealth.org/compliance-notice/

Patients who may have been affected and would like more information can call (888) 867-3881.

Category: Health DataSubcontractorU.S.

Post navigation

← Equifax’s U.K. Arm Fined Over 2017 Data Breach
Colonial Pipeline was hacked. No, wait, Accenture was hacked. No, wait….. untangling claims. (2) →

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

  • Nova Scotia Power hit by cyberattack, critical infrastructure targeted, no outages reported
  • Georgia hospital defeats data-tracking lawsuit
  • 60K BTC Wallets Tied to LockBit Ransomware Gang Leaked
  • UK: Legal Aid Agency hit by cyber security incident
  • Public notice for individuals affected by an information security breach in the Social Services, Health Care and Rescue Services Division of Helsinki
  • PowerSchool paid a hacker’s extortion demand, but now school district clients are being extorted anyway (3)
  • Defending Against UNC3944: Cybercrime Hardening Guidance from the Frontlines
  • Call for Public Input: Essential Cybersecurity Protections for K-12 Schools (2025-26 SY)
  • Cyberattack puts healthcare on hold for hundreds in St. Louis metro
  • Europol: DDoS-for-hire empire brought down: Poland arrests 4 administrators, US seizes 9 domains

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

  • Apple Siri Eavesdropping Payout Deadline Confirmed—How To Make A Claim
  • Privacy matters to Canadians – Privacy Commissioner of Canada marks Privacy Awareness Week with release of latest survey results
  • Missouri Clinic Must Give State AG Minor Trans Care Information
  • Georgia hospital defeats data-tracking lawsuit
  • No Postal Service Data Sharing to Deport Immigrants
  • DOGE aims to pool federal data, putting personal information at risk
  • Privacy concerns swirl around HHS plan to build Medicare, Medicaid database on autism

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.