An unauthorized third party possibly gained access to approximately 135,000 patient records at Albany, N.Y.-based St. Peter’s Surgery & Endoscopy Center Jan. 8., the Timesunion reports.
Here's what you should know.
1. In a statement, the center stated there was no evidence showing patient information was accessed or used in anyway, but the center is "unable to definitively rule that out."
2. The potentially malware-compromised server contained personal patient information, including dates of service, diagnosis codes, procedure codes, insurance information and in some instances, Medicare information. There was no banking or credit card information on the server. Social security numbers for patients without Medicare were not accessed.
3. The incident only impacted St. Peter's Surgery & Endoscopy Center and none of any affiliated practices including St. Peter’s Hospital and Albany Gastroenterology Consultants.
4. The surgery center mailed letters to affected patients Feb. 28. While there was no indication data was accessed, the center recommended patients monitor statements from their insurer. For Medicare patients, the surgery center is offering a year of free credit monitoring.
The center said, "We are committed to providing our patients with the assistance they need to protect themselves moving forward. We are reaching out to provide information and guidance to individuals with information that was contained on the servers in question and offering complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to patients whose Medicare information was contained on the servers. We are also posting additional information on our website and set up a dedicated call center for patients to ask questions."