First Choice Dental Files Notice of Data Breach with HHS-OCR Following Apparent Cyberattack

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On December 21, 2023, First Choice Dental filed a notice of data breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights after discovering that confidential patient information was subject to unauthorized access. In this notice, FCD explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information. Upon completing its investigation, FCD began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you received a data breach notification from First Choice Dental, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the First Choice Dental data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the First Choice Dental Data Breach?

The First Choice Dental data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, FCD’s filing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights provides some important information on what led up to the breach. First Choice Dental also posted a website notice discussing the incident.

According to these sources, on October 22, 2023, FCD learned that it was the victim of a cybersecurity incident. In response, FCD secured its systems to mitigate any impact on customer information and then began working with a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate the incident.

The FCD investigation is still ongoing; however, the company notes that an unauthorized party may have been able to access portions of its network containing confidential patient information.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was potentially accessible to an unauthorized party, First Choice Dental reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. FCD is still analyzing what data types could have been subject to unauthorized access.

On December 21, 2023, First Choice Dental filed notice of the breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. The same day, FCD posted a notice of the incident on its website. Eventually, once the company’s investigation is complete, FCD will send out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About First Choice Dental

First Choice Dental is a dental care practice based out of Madison, Wisconsin. FCD provides a range of dental services, including preventative care, pediatric dental care, periodontics, implants, braces, Invisalign, oral surgery and sleep apnea & snoring therapy. FCD operates 11 dental care clinics throughout Wisconsin. First Choice Dental employs more than 109 people and generates approximately $10 million in annual revenue.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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