On July 21, 2023, New England Life Care, Inc. (“NELC”) filed a notice of data breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights after discovering that certain files on the company’s computer network were unauthorized. In this notice, NELC explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access patients’ sensitive information. Upon completing its investigation, NELC 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 New England Life Care, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. Healthcare providers have a duty to protect your information. And, if a healthcare organization’s negligence causes or contributes to a data breach, it may be liable to victims through a data breach lawsuit. 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 New England Life Care data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the New England Life Care Breach?

The New England Life Care data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, NELC’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. NELC also posted a “Notice of Data Security Incident” on its website.

According to these sources, on May 24, 2023, NELC experienced a network disruption affecting its computer systems. In response, NELC secured its systems, notified the authorities, and engaged the assistance of a third-party investigation firm to investigate the incident.

The NELC investigation confirmed that certain files contained on the company’s IT network were accessible to an unauthorized party. It was later determined that some of these files contained confidential patient information.

After learning that sensitive patient data was accessible to an unauthorized party, New England Life Care reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which patients were impacted.

On July 21, 2023, New England Life Care sent 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 of theirs was impacted by the recent breach.

More Information About New England Life Care

New England Life Care is a healthcare services organization based out of South Portland, Maine. NELC provides home infusion therapy and specialty pharmacy services to discharged patients as a part of their advanced home care plan. NELC is affiliated with more than 50 medical centers in New England and serves patients in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. New England Life Care employs more than 324 people and generates approximately $49 million in annual revenue.