KGG Investigating Broward Health Data Breach and Stolen Patient Information

The attorneys of Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, Graifman, Perlmutter & Carballo, P.C. are currently investigating a large-scale data breach reported by Broward Health, which runs dozens of medical facilities throughout Broward County, Florida. According to the healthcare system, the breach impacted the protective personal information of more than 1.3 million patients and employees. The cyberattack took place on October 15, 2021, when hackers gained illegal access to the hospital’s records of personal information.

If you suspect that your protected health information was compromised in the Broward Health data breach and would like to speak to a lawyer at our firm about this matter, please contact class action attorney Melissa R. Emert, Esq., or Gary S. Graifman, Esq., via telephone: (866) 896-0935, fax: (845) 356-4335, or email: [email protected] or [email protected]. All consultations are confidential and free of charge.

Over 1.3 Million People Affected by Broward Health Data Breach

Broward Health discovered the incident on October 19, 2021, and issued a public statement: “On October 15, 2021, an intruder gained entry to the Broward Health network through the office of a third-party medical provider permitted to access the system to provide healthcare services. Broward Health also engaged an experienced data review specialist to conduct an extensive analysis of the data to determine what was impacted, which determined some patient and employee personal information may have been impacted.”

While Broward Health took quick measures to prevent further security breaches, investigations indicate that the hackers gained access to very sensitive data – some of which was surreptitiously withdrawn from the hospitals’ systems.

The personal information available to hackers included:

• Dates of birth
• Social security numbers
• Addresses
• Phone numbers
• Bank account information
• Email addresses
• Medical histories
• Diagnostic information
• Driver’s license numbers

The Department of Justice was notified of the cyberattack and asked Broward Health to postpone notification letters to affected people, so as not to interfere with ongoing investigations. The breach notification letters were sent out on January 1, 2022, nearly 2.5 months after the cyberattack.

Stolen Data May Be Exploited to Commit Fraud

Owing to the sensitive nature of the data breach, Broward Health suggests impacted victims remain extra cautious in regards to medical identify theft.

Affected individuals are encouraged to regularly review their health care statements, and to reach out if anything seems amiss. It is also advisable to keep an eye on credit records and bank accounts to make sure none of their information is being utilized without permission.

Potential Class Action Litigation

If Broward Health failed to take appropriate measures to safeguard Protected Health Information, and if this negligence left people at risk of identity-related fraud, then a class action lawsuit may be warranted.

Those who have received a notice of data breach from Broward Health may be eligible for legal action. To explore your options for participating in a class action or filing a data breach lawsuit, please call KGG Law today. There is no charge to speak with our experienced class action lawyers.