Two reports that I have been reading today:
ARcare
ARcare in Arkansas is notifying people whose personal and/or medical information may have been accessed or acquired in a malware incident. The malware enabled an unauthorized actor to access or acquire data between January 18, 2022 and February 24, 2022. The types of information involved included names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license or state identification numbers, dates of birth, financial account information, medical treatment information, prescription information, medical diagnosis or condition information, and health insurance information.
Their press release can be found on PRNewswire, and there is a notice on their website. Neither reveals the number of people being notified and the incident is not yet posted on HHS’s public breach tool.
UPDATED April 29: The incident has now been added to HHS’s public breach tool as impacting 345,353 patients.
Smile Brands Update
Back in June, 2021, Smile Brands disclosed a ransomware incident that occurred in April, 2021. A sample notification letter was also provided to the California Attorney General’s Office by the firm.
Smile Brands provide dental office support services and is a business associate under HIPAA.
The types of information involved in the breach included name, address, telephone number, Social Security number, date of birth, health insurance information, and/or diagnosis information. Smile Brand’s report to HHS in June, 2021 had indicated that 1,200 patients were being notified, but that number had been subsequently revised to 199,683.
Since that time, the California-based firm has occasionally provided updates to regulators, although it’s not always clear whether the numbers are for patients, employees, or both. According to their April 12, 2022 update to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, previous consumer notifications had been made on September 28, 2021, January 12, 2022, and February 25, 2022, and the state had previously been notified on October 8, 2021.
As of this most recent update, the total number of individuals notified about the incident currently stands at 2,592,494. A template letter to employees was also submitted to the state.