On July 6, 2023, Public Health Management Corporation (“PHMC”) 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 was able to access confidential consumer information stored on the organization’s computer network. In this notice, PHMC explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, protected health information, and health insurance information. Upon completing its investigation, PHMC 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 Public Health Management Corporation, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. In 2023, the healthcare industry has been the most targeted industry among hackers. In part, this is because healthcare providers and related companies maintain vast amounts of data about patients, which can be used to commit identity theft and other frauds. 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 Public Health Management Corp. data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Public Health Management Corp. Breach?

The Public Health Management Corp. data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, PHMC’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 May 8, 2023, PHMC learned of suspicious activity within its computer network. In response, PHMC launched an investigation with the help of third-party digital forensic specialists.

The PHMC investigation confirmed that an unauthorized party was able to gain access to the organization’s computer network on May 8, 2023, during which they had the ability to access or remove certain files. Subsequent investigation confirmed that some of these files contained confidential consumer information.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Public Health Management Corp. 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 full name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, medical history information, mental and physical treatment information, diagnosis information, treating physician, medical record number, health insurance information, policy number, subscriber number, and group/plan number.

On July 6, 2023, Public Health Management Corp. sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. Currently, PHMC’s listing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights notes that there were 500 victims. However, the number “500” is often used by companies as a placeholder so that they can fulfill their notification requirements as they finish their investigation.

More Information About Public Health Management Corporation

Founded in 1972, Public Health Management Corporation is a nonprofit public health institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PHMC operates 70 locations and close to 350,000 clients served annually. In addition to running its own programs, PHMC also operates smaller nonprofits called PHMC Affiliates. PHMC and its affiliates offer a broad range of programs including behavioral health and recovery, nurse-managed primary care, chronic disease management and prevention, tobacco control, obesity prevention, early intervention, HIV/AIDS, violence intervention, and more. Public Health Management Corp. employs more than 2,500 people and generates approximately $281 million in annual revenue.