Recently, Ascension Michigan confirmed that an unauthorized party was able to gain access to the company’s electronic health record system, resulting in sensitive information being compromised. If you received a data breach notification, it is essential you understand what is at risk. The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are actively investigating the Ascension Michigan data breach on behalf of people whose information was exposed. As a part of this investigation, we are providing free consultations to anyone affected by the breach who is interested in learning more about the risks of identity theft, what they can do to protect themselves, and what their legal options may be to obtain compensation from Ascension Michigan. Last year, 1,862 data breaches affected more than 189 million people. On average, victims of identity theft spend 200 hours and over $1,300 recovering their identity. Many victims also suffer emotional distress, credit damage, and may even end up with a criminal record. Taking immediate action is the best way to prevent the worst consequences of a data breach.
According to a notice posted by the company, Ascension Michigan was recently made aware of suspicious activity on the system used to store patients’ electronic health records. Upon learning of the incident, Ascension conducted an internal investigation to determine whether any protected health information was leaked as a result of the breach.
On November 30, 2021, Ascension confirmed an unauthorized party gained access to patient information between the dates of October 15, 2015 and September 8, 2021. While the compromised information varies by consumer, it may include patients’ first and last names, dates of birth, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, health insurance information, health insurance identification numbers and carriers, dates of service, diagnosis information, treatment information, and, Social Security numbers.
Around February 22, 2022, Ascension Michigan began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident. As many as 27,177 people may have been affected by the Ascension Michigan data breach.
Ascension Michigan is part of the nationwide healthcare organization Ascension Health. Ascension Health is a Catholic, non-profit healthcare system focusing on providing care to low-income individuals and families. In 2021, Ascension Health provided $2.3 billion in care to people living in poverty. As a whole, Ascension Health operates 142 hospitals and more than 50 long-term care facilities in 19 states and the District of Columbia. The Ascension Michigan facilities include:
Ascension Borgess Allegan Hospital
Ascension Borgess Hospital
Ascension Borgess-Lee Hospital
Ascension Borgess-Pipp Hospital
Ascension Brighton Center for Recovery
Ascension Genesys Hospital
Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Madison Heights Campus
Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Warren Campus
Ascension Providence Hospital, Novi Campus
Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield Campus
Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital
Ascension River District Hospital
Ascension St. John Hospital
Ascension St. Joseph Hospital
Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital
Ascension Standish Hospital
Often, data breaches are the result of a hacker gaining unauthorized access to a company’s computer systems with the intention of obtaining sensitive consumer information. While no one can know the reason why a hacker targeted Ascension, it is common for hackers and other criminals to identify those companies believed to have weak data security systems or vulnerabilities in their networks.
Once a cybercriminal gains access to a computer network, they can then access and remove any data stored on the compromised servers. While in most cases a company experiencing a data breach can identify which files were accessible, there may be no way for the company to tell which files the hacker actually accessed or whether they removed any data.
While the fact that your information was compromised in a data breach does not necessarily mean it will be used for criminal purposes, being the victim of a data breach puts your sensitive data in the hands of an unauthorized person. As a result, you are at an increased risk of identity theft and other frauds, and criminal use of your information is a possibility that should not be ignored.
Given this reality, individuals who receive an Ascension Michigan data breach notification should take the situation seriously and remain vigilant in checking for any signs of unauthorized activity. Businesses like Ascension are responsible for protecting the consumer data in their possession. If evidence emerges that Ascension failed to adequately protect your sensitive information, you may be eligible for financial compensation through a data breach lawsuit.
When patients decided to seek treatment at Ascension Michigan, they assumed that the company would take their privacy concerns seriously. And it goes without saying that consumers would think twice before giving a company access to their information if they knew it wasn’t going to be secure. Thus, data breaches such as this one raise questions about the adequacy of a company’s data security system.
When a business, government entity, non-profit organization, school, or any other organization accepts and stores consumer data, it also accepts a legal obligation to ensure this information remains private. The United States data breach laws allow consumers to pursue civil data breach claims against organizations that fail to protect their information.
Of course, given the recency of the Ascension Health data breach, the investigation into the incident is still in its early stages. And, as of right now, there is not yet any evidence suggesting Ascension is legally responsible for the breach. However, that could change as additional information about the breach and its causes is revealed.
If you have questions about your ability to bring a data breach class action lawsuit against Ascension Michigan, reach out to a data breach attorney as soon as possible.
If Ascension Michigan sends you a data breach notification letter, you are among those whose information was compromised in the recent breach. While this isn’t a time to panic, the situation warrants your attention. Below are a few important steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft and other fraudulent activity:
Identify What Information Was Compromised: The first thing to do after learning of a data breach is to carefully review the data breach letter sent. The letter will tell you what information of yours was accessible to the unauthorized party. Be sure to make a copy of the letter and keep it for your records. If you have trouble understanding the letter or what steps you can take to protect yourself, a data breach lawyer can help.
Limit Future Access to Your Accounts: Once you determine what information of yours was affected by the breach, the safest play is to assume that the hacker orchestrating the attack stole your data. While this may not be the case, it’s better to be safe than sorry. To prevent future access to your accounts, you should change all passwords and security questions for any online account. This includes online banking accounts, credit card accounts, online shopping accounts, and any other account containing your personal information. You should also consider changing your social media account passwords and setting up multi-factor authentication where it is available.
Protect Your Credit and Your Financial Accounts: After a data breach, companies often provide affected parties with free credit monitoring services. Signing up for the free credit monitoring offers some significant protections and doesn’t impact any of your rights to pursue a data breach lawsuit against the company if it turns out they were legally responsible for the breach. You should contact a credit bureau to request a copy of your credit report—even if you do not notice any signs of fraud or unauthorized activity. Adding a fraud alert to your account will provide you with additional protection.
Consider Implementing a Credit Freeze: A credit freeze prevents anyone from accessing your credit report. Credit freezes are free and stay in effect until you remove them. Once a credit freeze is in place, you can temporarily lift the freeze if you need to apply for any type of credit. While placing a credit freeze on your accounts may seem like overkill, given the risks involved, it’s justified. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (“ITRC”), placing a credit freeze on your account is the “single most effective way to prevent a new credit/financial account from being opened.” However, just 3% of data breach victims place a freeze on their accounts.
Regularly Monitor Your Credit Report and Financial Accounts: Protecting yourself in the wake of a data breach requires an ongoing effort on your part. You should regularly check your credit report and all financial account statements, looking for any signs of unauthorized activity or fraud. You should also call your banks and credit card companies to report the fact that your information was compromised in a data breach.
Below is a copy of the data breach notification posted on the Ascension Michigan website:
Dear [Consumer],
Maintaining the privacy and security of our patients’ information is of utmost importance to Ascension Michigan. Regrettably, this notice concerns an incident involving affected patient information. This notice explains the incident, outlines the measures we have taken in response, and steps individuals can take themselves.
What happened? We were made aware of suspicious activity in our Electronic Health Record (EHR) and immediately began an investigation. On November 30, 2021, after an extensive review of the user’s access, we determined that an unauthorized individual had inappropriately accessed patient information in our EHR between October 15, 2015 and September 8, 2021. The user’s access was immediately terminated as part of the investigation.
What Information Was Involved? The information that may have been accessed for the affected individuals is (note, not all individuals may have had all information affected): full name, date of birth, address(es), email address(es), phone number(s), health insurance information, health insurance identification number and carrier, dates of service, diagnosis, treatment related information, and, in some cases, Social Security numbers.
What is Ascension Michigan doing? In response to the incident, Ascension Michigan has taken steps to further protect its patient information, including a review of internal controls and further improvement to processes intended to safeguard patient information. Ascension Michigan has notified affected patients and we are offering free credit and identity theft protection monitoring services as well as other information on how individuals can protect their information from potential misuse. Ascension Michigan has also reported this incident to law enforcement and will cooperate with any further investigation.
What You Can Do. We recommend that individuals remain vigilant in responding to anyone that may know their medical information related to, or received at, an Ascension Michigan facility and report to us anyone attempting to contact them regarding medical services or indicating they are partnering with Ascension to offer services.
For More Information: Ascension Michigan has established a designated call center for this incident to answer your questions and provide assistance. If you believe you are affected or have questions, please call toll free 855-568-2066 between 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 pm EST (Eastern Standard Time), Monday through Friday, and a representative will be able to assist you. Please note, the call center may be closed for some U.S. observed holidays.
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DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
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