NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — On or around May 6, 2019, Alive Hospice became aware of unusual activity related to an employee’s email account. Alive Hospice immediately took steps to respond to and investigate this activity and change the user’s password. Based on this review, Alive Hospice determined that an unauthorized individual(s) gained access to the employee’s email account. Alive Hospice commenced a comprehensive investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident and identify what personal information may have been present in the affected emails.
Through the investigation, which included working with third-party forensic investigators, Alive Hospice determined that an unauthorized individual(s) gained access to a single Alive Hospice employee email account between May 4, 2019, and May 6, 2019. While, to date, the investigation has found no evidence of actual or attempted misuse of data, we did determine that the email account affected by this incident contained certain personal information which may include name, contact information, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license, credit/debit card number, medical history information, treatment and prescription information, physician information, medical record number, Medicaid/Medicare number, health insurance information, and/or username/email and password information.
Alive Hospice places the highest priority on the confidentiality, privacy, and security of the personal information in its care. Cyberattacks are increasingly occurring in healthcare and other industries, so Alive Hospice is constantly monitoring for security concerns and implementing measures to strengthen its system and protect the security of information. While Alive Hospice has stringent security measures in place to protect information, it is taking steps to implement additional safeguards to further protect the security of information. Additionally, Alive Hospice has put in place resources to assist potentially affected individuals.
On July 3, 2019, Alive Hospice began mailing notice letters to individuals and next of kin, as appropriate, whose information may have been present in the affected email account. Alive Hospice has offered these individuals access to credit monitoring and identity restoration services for one year without charge. Alive Hospice 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. Alive Hospice’s notification to individuals includes information on obtaining a free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus by visiting www.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, www.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, www.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; www.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. Alive Hospice has provided notice of this incident to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as required state regulators.
Alive Hospice has set up a dedicated assistance line to answer questions regarding this incident. Individuals who have questions about the incident are encouraged to call 1-800-939-4170 (toll free), Monday through Friday from 8 am – 7 pm Central Time.
SOURCE Alive Hospice