Health System Data Exposed: More than 1 million patients’ personal and medical information was stolen from a Michigan health system in the second breach this year, the state said Tuesday.
HealthEC is a health management technology business that works with Corewell Health’s sites in southeast Michigan. Hackers attacked it.
Health System Data Exposed, 1 Million Patients’ Information Compromised
The office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said it sent letters to patients who were affected on December 22. However, it’s not clear what information was stolen from each person.
When she told people about the breach, she said that the data that could have been stolen included names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, medical records (including illnesses), payment information, health insurance information, and more.
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TransUnion is offering free credit monitoring and identity protection services for a year to those who suffered harm as a result of the most recent HealthEC breach. Nessel’s office said that information on how to sign up will be given directly to people who might be affected.
Corewell Health told state officials about the breach before telling the public, even though Michigan law doesn’t require them to do so. This is the second data breach Corewell Health has told Nessel’s office about in the last two months, so she wants to change the rule.
Last month, a breach that affected more than 1 million people also affected Welltok, Inc., a software company that aids Corewell Health with communication. Earlier this year, ransomware also affected over 2.5 million McLaren Health Care users.
“Health information is some of the most personal information we have,” Nessel stated. “People in Michigan have been victims of a lot of healthcare-related data breaches and need strong protection.” The Michigan lawmakers must follow the lead of many other states that require businesses that experience a data breach to notify the Department of Attorney General right away.
In addition to Michigan’s healthcare services, other areas suffer from cyberattacks this year.
The Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights says that in 2023, more than 540 groups and 112 million people were involved in healthcare crimes. 590 health groups reported data breaches last year, but only 48.6 million people were affected.
