According to an article by PYMNTS.com published on Tuesday, the Broward Health hospital system announced an October 2021 data security breach and that it had notified patients that their personal information was exposed. Broward Health came forward with the information in a news release.
The Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based hospital system operating more than 30 locations across the county disclosed that several months ago a cyber intruder accessed its network through a third-party medical provider. Broward said it discovered the breach several days later, notified federal authorities, required a password reset for all employees, and engaged an independent firm to investigate its cause.
The hospital system said it also engaged a third party to conduct an extensive data analysis to determine the extent of the hack. The investigation concluded that some patient and employee personal information may have been compromised.
This reportedly included information such as, “name, date of birth, address, phone number, financial or bank account information, Social Security number, insurance information and account number, medical information including history, condition, treatment and diagnosis, medical record number, driver’s license number and email address.”
The hospital system said it is revamping security protocols and is soon implementing “additional minimum-security requirements for devices not managed by Broward Health Information Technology.” Broward added that although there is no evidence that patients and employees’ information has been misused, it is offering impacted persons 24 months of free membership for a service providing identity detection and identity theft resolution.
