Saltzer Health, owned by Intermountain Healthcare, is warning patients that their personal information may have been exposed after an unapproved party gained access to an employee email account.
According to the group, which manages 12 clinics and urgent care centers in Boise, Caldwell, Meridian, and Nampa, Idaho, attackers had access to the staff email account between May 25 – June 1 of the last year. The organization further said that an investigation into the issue indicated that the email account did include personal information that may have been exposed throughout the period of unlawful access.
Names, contact information, driving license numbers, state identification numbers, and, in some instances, social security numbers as well as financial account details are all potentially affected. The diagnosis, medical history, treatment details, prescription drug information, physician information, and health insurance information were all compromised by the illegal access.
While Saltzer Health did not specify the number of people affected, the agency alerted the US Department of Health and Human Services that the incident might have affected 15,650 people. The organization claims it has taken actions to reduce the risk of data compromise in its environment, including changing the password on the compromised email account and monitoring its network for any unusual behavior.
Saltzer Health said it hadn’t received any allegations of identity theft or fraud due to the incident. It also said that all persons should be watchful against identity theft and fraud by examining account statements and explanations of benefits, as well as monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity.
