Jefferson Health breach: Some patient personal, billing information exposed
PHILADELPHIA - Jefferson Health says they have begun contacting patients whose information may have been exposed during a data breach that occurred late last year.
The healthcare provider says an unauthorized person accessed an online health insurance portal used by Jefferson for to submit billing information for payments back in Nov. 2021.
They say the access was used in an attempt to divert wire payments intended for Jefferson Health.
In a statement released Friday, Jefferson Health says they immediately began an investigation with the health insurance company involved and reported the incident to law enforcement.
During their investigation, it was determined that the unauthorized person was able to obtain "a remittance sheet that contained patient billing information, including names, month and year of birth, date(s) of service, treatment code, and treatment cost."
Jefferson says social security numbers, health insurance information, financial account information and other treatment information were not involved in the breach.
Jefferson says they are mailing letters to patients whose information was contained on the remittance sheet. They're also encouraging patients to review statements from insurers and contact their insurer immediately if they see any services they did not receive.
Patients with questions can call the dedicated call center toll free at 1 (855) 618-2620, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
"Jefferson Health regrets this incident occurred and is committed to protecting the security and privacy of patient information. To help prevent something like this from happening again, Jefferson Health is reviewing and enhancing its security protocols," the statement read.
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