Data breach confirmed by HCA Healthcare, millions of patients believed to be affected
The personal information of millions of people, including in Florida, has been stolen following a data breach.
HCA Healthcare –- one of the largest companies in the country -- announced the recent discovery this week.
Overall, this is affecting patients across nearly two dozen states.
The company says this looks like a theft “from an external storage location exclusively used to automate the formatting of email messages.”
In a news release, the company says the compromised data includes, among other things, patients’ names, emails, date of birth, telephone numbers, and their next appointment date.
The provider claimed no clinical information had been disclosed, or information like credit card or account numbers, passwords, driver’s licenses, or Social Security numbers.
Some of the South Florida locations potentially affected by this breach are the following:
o HCA Florida Aventura hospital
o HCA Florida Kendall hospital
o HCA Florida Northwest Hospital
o HCA Florida Mercy Hospital
o HCA Florida Westside Hospital
o HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital
o HCA Florida University Hospital
HCA Healthcare says the investigation into this breach is ongoing and it can’t confirm the number of people whose information was impacted. But the company says it believes the list includes information for approximately 11 million patients.
As a result, the provider says it plans to contact any impacted patients.
Source: WPLG Local 10
