Monthly Breach Deets: Shields Health Group Data Breach

Shields Health Care Group, a provider of ambulatory surgical center management and medical imaging services, detected suspicious activity on its network. This data breach occurred between the dates of March 7, 2022, to March 21, 2022, but it wasn't discovered until March 28, 2022. Essential protected health information (PHI) had been compromised in a cyberattack.

According to HIPAA Journal, a total of up to two million patients in Massachusetts had been compromised during this data breach. This cost Shields Health Group an estimated $16,350,000 in loss of data and reputational damage, according to eRiskHub.

This data breach contained the following PHI:

• First and last name
• Social Security number
• Date of birth
• Home address
• Provider information
• Diagnosis
• Insurance number
• Medical record number
• Patient ID

This data breach could have been prevented.

What kind of culture are you creating for your employees and business? Create a culture that is embedded with prevention and awareness of security measures and attuned to the risks of a potential data breach. Many times, businesses are not overly concerned about a breach until it’s too late. Please take the prevention tips that your business keeps in place seriously so we're not reading your names next!

VGM Forbin would be happy to consult you on security software and other ransomware security needs for your facility. Let us know if you'd like to schedule a free consultation with our experts today!