Boston Children’s Health Physicians Announces Vendor Data Breach Affecting Patients and Employees | Console and Associates, P.C.

On October 4, 2024, Boston Children’s Health Physicians (“BCHP”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Massachusetts after discovering that an unauthorized third party gained access to its network. In this notice, BCHP explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, medical record numbers, health insurance information, billing information, and treatment information. Upon completing its investigation, BCHP 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 Boston Children’s Health Physicians, 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 Boston Children’s Health Physicians data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Data Breach Affecting Boston Children’s Health Physicians?

The Boston Children’s Health Physicians data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, BCHP’s filing with the Attorney General of Massachusetts provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on September 6, 2024, a vendor that BCHP uses informed BCHP that there was unusual activity within the vendor’s IT network.

A few days later, on September 10, 2024, BCHP detected unauthorized activity within portions of its own network. In response, BCHP secured its systems and then launched an investigation with the help of third-party cybersecurity experts. Through this investigation, BCHP confirmed that an unauthorized party was able to access its network on September 10, 2024. It was subsequently determined that the unauthorized party had access to certain files and folders containing confidential information belonging to current and former employees, patients, and guarantors.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Boston Children’s Health Physicians 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, Social Security number, address, date of birth, driver’s license number, medical record number, health insurance information, billing information, and treatment information.

On October 4, 2024, Boston Children’s Health Physicians 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 belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About Boston Children’s Health Physicians

Boston Children’s Health Physicians is a physicians’ practice with locations in New York and Connecticut. BCHP provides comprehensive care to patients through 55 practices in the New York Metropolitan Area, the Hudson Valley, and Connecticut. BCHP is part of the Boston Children’s Hospital network of care. Boston Children’s Hospital employs more than 3,300 people and generates approximately $2.5 billion in annual revenue.