ECHN cyberattack compromised Social Security numbers medical records

pThis is a carousel Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateppRockville General Hospital on Friday August 4 2023 in ManchesterppManchester Memorial Hospital on Friday August 4 2023 in ManchesterppRockville General Hospital on Friday August 4 2023 in ManchesterppEvergreen Imaging on Tamarack Ave is shutdown because of the cyber attack on ThursdayppThe cyberattack against the Eastern Connecticut Health Network in August resulted in the theft of employee and patient names and Social Security numbers as well as patients confidential health and financial information according to an attorney representing Prospect Medical Holdings ECHNs parent companyppIn a letter to the Connecticut attorney generals office on Friday Sarah Goldstein an attorney representing the Californiabased Prospect provided an update on the attackppIn the letter which was obtained by CT Insider she wrote that Prospects computer network was infiltrated and the hackers accessed andor acquired files that contain information to certain current and former employees and dependants of Waterbury Hospital Rockville General and Manchester Memorial hospitalsppFor Prospect Medical employees and dependents the information involved may have included their names and Social Security numbers Goldstein wroteppPatients compromised information varied she wrote but it includes names addresses dates of birth diagnosis lab results medication and other treatment information along with insurance information doctors and facilities visited dates of treatment and financial informationppFor some patients the information may have included their Social Security andor drivers license numbers Goldstein wroteppElizabeth Benton spokeswoman for the attorney generals office said that the state was verbally told that Social Security numbers were compromisedppProspect first admitted in August that confidential information was compromised but had not publicly detailed what information had been potentially stolen until Fridays letter to the attorney generals officeppProspect mailed notification letters through the US Postal Services firstclass mail to people whose information may have been compromised including 24130 Connecticut residents she wroteppThe hack also resulted in patient information from Prospects hospitals in CaliforniappOf the 63 Connecticut residents that were patients at Prospects California hospitals 13 had their Social Security numbers compromised Benton saidppOf the more than 24000 employees and dependents who were enrolled in Prospects benefit programs through Waterbury Hospital and ECHN the categories varied but did included names and Social Security numbers she saidppIn the letter mailed to impacted employees and patients Don Kreitz Senior Vice President of Southern California Hospitals for Prospect wrote We are notifying you of this incident to assure you that we take it seriouslyppProspect has arranged for those affected to receive credit monitoring and identity protection services through the company at no cost he wroteppThe protection Kreitz wrote provides twoyears of credit and CyberScan monitoring a 1 million insurance reimbursement policy and fully managed identity theft recovery servicesppThe services are at no cost to those affected provided they enroll by a Dec 29 deadline he wrote ppProspect Medical will continue to provide notifications to individuals whose information is determined to be involved in the incident accordance with applicable laws Goldstein wrote to the attorney generals office To help prevent something like this from happening again Prospect Medical implemented and will continue to adopt additional safeguards and technical security measures to further protect and monitor its systemsppRepresentatives of ECHN Prospect and Waterbury Hospital met with dozens of lawmakers last week describing dire financial fallout from the cyberattack including Manchester Hospital officials paying with handwritten checks to cover the cost of linens for hospital bedsppVendors and contracted doctors have also missed paychecks according to legislators who were present during last weeks closeddoor meetingppThe cyberattack comes as Yale New Haven Health is poised to buy ECHNs Connecticut hospitals and Waterbury HospitalppYale New Haven Health officials have said that they want to take over ECHNs computer security but cannot do so until a lengthy regulatory review process authorizing the sale goes throughppYale New Haven Health Vice President Robert Hutchinson said last week that the 400 million sale is in jeopardy because of the deteriorating condition of the Waterbury and ECHN hospitalsppIf the sale is to go through the price tag is likely to change considering the information technology investment that is now required and the hospitals current condition compared to when an agreement was initially made he saidp