NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Senior Health
Partners (SHP), a Healthfirst company, is today notifying
approximately 2,700 of its members that a laptop and smartphone
belonging to an assessment nurse employed by Premier Home Health
("Premier"), a business associate, were stolen from the nurse's
apartment. SHP and Premier conducted investigations and found
no indication that anyone accessed or misused any personal
information or protected health information. Nevertheless, SHP is
notifying members so that, with SHP's assistance, they may protect
themselves.
On November 26, 2014, a laptop bag
containing a laptop and smartphone was stolen from an assessment
nurse who worked for Premier. The laptop was password-protected and
encrypted; however, the encryption key was stolen with the laptop
bag. The smartphone was neither password-protected nor encrypted.
Premier notified SHP of the theft on December 10, 2014. SHP subsequently hired
forensic experts to confirm what information may have been
accessible from these devices and to conduct a full
investigation. Without the stolen laptop, the forensic expert
could not confirm whether any attempt was made to gain access to
information, but did confirm that information for some members was
contained in an email that was potentially accessible. The email
contents contained the following types of information relating to
some members: name; address; Social Security number; Medicaid ID
number; date of birth; phone number; medical services rendered;
diagnoses; and health insurance claim number. The following
additional information was potentially accessible for one
individual: Medicaid plan, eligibility, and program information;
and Third-Party Administrator information.
Beginning January 30, 2015, SHP
mailed letters to affected members. SHP also notified family
members and caregivers of the affected members to the extent
possible. Notice is also being provided to the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services and to the offices of the New York Attorney General, Department of
State, Division of State Police, and Department of Health.
Senior Health Partners sincerely regrets that this incident
occurred. It takes the privacy and security of members'
health information very seriously and expects its vendors to do the
same. SHP values the trust its members have placed in it as their
health plan, and it is SHP's priority to reassure its members that
it is taking steps to ensure its members' information is
protected.
Although there is no report of any attempted or actual misuse of
member information, SHP has retained AllClear ID to protect its
members' identities. SHP members who have been affected by this
incident will receive access to one year of free identity and
credit monitoring and restoration services, along with access to a
confidential assistance line and an identity theft protection
specialist. SHP is reviewing and updating its policies and
procedures, and those of its business associates, to prevent a
similar incident from recurring. SHP has advised its members to
contact the confidential assistance line or their Care Manager for
more information. The confidential inquiry line can be reached
between 9am and 9pm EST, Monday
through Saturday, at 1-877-615-3780.
To further protect against possible identity theft or other
financial loss, individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant, to
review account statements, and to monitor credit reports for
suspicious activity. Under U.S. law, individuals are entitled to
one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit
bureaus. To order a free credit report, an individual can visit
www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll free, 1-877-322-8228.
Individuals may also contact the three major credit bureaus
directly to request a free copy of the relevant credit report.
Individuals are encouraged to regularly review any Explanation
of Benefits statement received from insurers for suspicious
activity. If an individual does not receive regular Explanation of
Benefits statements, he or she can contact his or her insurer and
request copies. Individuals may want to order copies of credit
reports and to check for any unrecognized medical bills. If an
individual finds anything suspicious, he or she can call the credit
reporting agency at the phone number on the report.
Individuals should keep a copy of notices in case future problems
arise. Individuals may also want to request a copy of medical
records from providers, to serve as a baseline.
At no charge, an individual can also have these credit bureaus
place a "fraud alert" on his or her file that alerts creditors to
take additional steps to verify his or her identity prior to
granting credit in his or her name. It should be noted, however,
that because a fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain
procedures, it may also delay an individual's ability to obtain
credit while the agency verifies his or her identity. As soon as
one credit bureau confirms an individual's fraud alert, the others
are notified to place fraud alerts on the individual's file. Should
an individual wish to place a fraud alert, or have any questions
regarding a credit report, he or she should contact any one of the
agencies listed below. Information regarding security freezes
is also available from these agencies.
Equifax
|
Experian
|
TransUnion
|
P.O. Box
105069
|
P.O. Box
2002
|
P.O. Box
2000
|
Atlanta, GA
30348
|
Allen, TX
75013
|
Chester, PA
19022-2000
|
1-800-525-6285
|
1-888-397-3742
|
1-800-680-7289
|
www.equifax.com
|
www.experian.com
|
www.transunion.com
|
Individuals can further educate themselves regarding identity
theft, security freezes, and the steps to take to protect
themselves by contacting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The
FTC can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20580;
www.ftc.gov/idtheft/; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY:
1-866-653-4261. The FTC encourages those who discover that their
information has been misused to file a complaint with them.
Information on how to file such a complaint can be found at the FTC
website shown above. Individuals should report known or
suspected identity theft or fraud to law enforcement.
Anyone with any additional questions or concerns may contact our
confidential inquiry line between 9am and
9pm EST, Monday through Friday, at 1-877-615-3780.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/senior-health-partners-shp-a-healthfirst-company-provides-notice-of-data-security-incident-300028811.html
SOURCE Senior Health Partners (SHP), a Healthfirst company