On July 5, 2023, Phoenician Medical Center, Inc. and its affiliates, Phoenix Neurological & Pain Institute and Laser Surgery Center (collectively, “PMC”), filed a notice of data breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights after discovering that an unauthorized party accessed—and potentially stole—patient data. In this notice, PMC explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, dates of birth, contact information, demographic information, state identification numbers, diagnosis and treatment information and other protected health information. Upon completing its investigation, PMC 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 Phoenician Medical Center, Inc., it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, healthcare data breaches put victims at a much higher risk of identity theft, as healthcare providers often have a tremendous amount of information about their patients. However, there are things you can do to reduce the risk of identity theft and fraud. 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 Phoenician Medical Center data breach.

What Caused the Phoenician Medical Center Breach?

The Phoenician Medical Center data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, PMC’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. According to this source, on March 31, PMC learned of a data security incident after some of the company’s systems experienced disruption. In response, PMC secured its systems and launched an investigation into the incident in hopes of determining what, if any, patient data was compromised.

The PMC investigation confirmed that an unauthorized party was able to access its IT network and possibly remove certain files. PMC later determined that some of these files contained confidential patient information who were treated between 2016 and 2023.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Phoenician Medical Center reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, date of birth, contact information, demographic information, state identification number, diagnosis and treatment information and other protected health information.

On July 5, 2023, Phoenician Medical Center sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident.

More Information About Phoenician Medical Center, Inc.

Phoenician Medical Center, Inc. is a healthcare services company based out of Chandler, Arizona. PMC consists of several divisions, including Phoenician Primary Care, Phoenician Neurological & Pain Institute, Phoenician Vein & Vascular, Phoenician Cardiology, and Desert Laboratories. In total, PMC operates more than 20 locations, serving over 140,000 patients. Phoenician Medical Center employs more than 350 people and generates approximately $10 million in annual revenue.