Cybersecurity Announcement Boston Childrens Health Physicians
Cybersecurity Announcement
Boston Children’s Health Physicians (“BCHP”) is committed to protecting the confidentiality and security of the information we maintain. Regrettably, this notice is regarding a recent security incident at our IT vendor that involved some of our patients’ information.
What Happened? On September 6, 2024, our IT vendor informed us that it identified unusual activity in its systems. On September 10, 2024, we detected unauthorized activity on limited parts of the BCHP network and immediately initiated our incident response protocols, including shutting down our systems as a protective measure. We also began an investigation with a third-party forensic firm and determined that an unauthorized third-party gained access to our network on September 10, 2024, and took certain files from our network.
What Information Was Involved? The files included current and former employee, patient, and guarantor information. Information varied by individual and may have included names, Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, medical record numbers, health insurance information, billing information, and/or limited treatment information. Our electronic medical record systems are on a separate network and were not affected by this incident.
What BCHP Is Doing. On October 4, 2024, we began mailing letters to individuals whose information was involved. We also established a dedicated, toll-free call center to answer your questions.
To help prevent something like this from happening again, we have implemented additional safeguards to further protect and monitor our systems.
What You Can Do. For those individuals whose Social Security number or driver’s license number was involved, we are offering complimentary credit monitoring and credit protected services. We recommend that our patients review the statements they receive from their health insurer. If they see services that the patient did not receive, contact the insurer immediately.
For More Information. If you believe you are affected but do not receive a letter before October 25, 2024, or if you have questions about this incident, please call 888-401-0395, available Monday through Friday, between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm Eastern Time.
Boston Children’s Health Physicians (“BCHP”) is committed to protecting the confidentiality and security of the information we maintain. Regrettably, this notice is regarding a recent security incident at our IT vendor that involved some of our patients’ information.
What Happened? On September 6, 2024, our IT vendor informed us that it identified unusual activity in its systems. On September 10, 2024, we detected unauthorized activity on limited parts of the BCHP network and immediately initiated our incident response protocols, including shutting down our systems as a protective measure. We also began an investigation with a third-party forensic firm and determined that an unauthorized third-party gained access to our network on September 10, 2024, and took certain files from our network.
What Information Was Involved? The files included current and former employee, patient, and guarantor information. Information varied by individual and may have included names, Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, medical record numbers, health insurance information, billing information, and/or limited treatment information. Our electronic medical record systems are on a separate network and were not affected by this incident.
What BCHP Is Doing. On October 4, 2024, we began mailing letters to individuals whose information was involved. We also established a dedicated, toll-free call center to answer your questions.
To help prevent something like this from happening again, we have implemented additional safeguards to further protect and monitor our systems.
What You Can Do. For those individuals whose Social Security number or driver’s license number was involved, we are offering complimentary credit monitoring and credit protected services. We recommend that our patients review the statements they receive from their health insurer. If they see services that the patient did not receive, contact the insurer immediately.
For More Information. If you believe you are affected but do not receive a letter before October 25, 2024, or if you have questions about this incident, please call 888-401-0395, available Monday through Friday, between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm Eastern Time.
