Posted On March 11, 2023 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
March 11, 2023 – After finding that private patient information had been compromised due to a cybersecurity incident, Lawrence General Hospital filed a notice of data breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“HHS-OCR”) on February 23, 2023. According to the business’s report to the HHS-OCR, the incident led to improper access to customers’ protected health information. After confirming that customer data had been compromised, Lawrence General started notifying the 76,371 people who had been affected by the recent data security incident.
The Lawrence General Hospital data breach is being actively investigated by the data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. We are providing free consultations where we can go over your legal options if you have received a breach notice and are curious about what you can do to protect yourself and if you can get financial confirmation from the hospital.
Located in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Lawrence General Hospital is a private, nonprofit hospital serving patients from all around Southern New Hampshire and Merrimack Valley. The 189 beds of Lawrence General Hospital, which opened its doors in 1875, make it a Level III trauma facility. More than 1,979 employees are employed by Lawrence General Hospital, which also brings in over $281 million in revenue a year.
The company’s statement with the HHS-OCR provides the information that is known about the breach at Lawrence General Hospital. The HHS-OCR data breach portal does offer some information, but it is generally incomplete and needs to be supplemented by the business that reported the incident. However, as of March 10, 2023, Lawrence General Hospital has not yet announced the breach on its website or released a press statement outlining what happened.
But since Lawrence General notified the HHS-OCR of the breach, it is reasonable to assume that the event likely involved patients’ protected health information. This is due to the fact that organizations are only required to notify the HHS-OCR of a breach if it exposed the protected health information of more than 500 individuals.
On February 23, 2023, Lawrence General Hospital sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident. According to the HHS-OCR, the Lawrence General data breach affected the private information of 76,371 individuals.
On February 23, 2023, Lawrence General Hospital sent data breach notification letters to all people whose information was compromised as a consequence of the recent data security incident. The Lawrence General data breach reportedly exposed the confidential information of 76,371 people, according to the HHS-OCR.
Your confidential information, including protected health information, may have been compromised if Lawrence General Hospital has notified you of the data breach. But what could be done with your secured health information?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) states that only specific data is safeguarded. Names, important dates like dates of birth, medical record numbers, account numbers, addresses, Social Security numbers, and a variety of other identifiers—a total of 18 distinct identifiers—are some of the information that is regarded as protected.
Hackers can use the listed information for a variety of purposes or even offer it to third parties on the dark web for their own gain. Receiving medical treatment using your information is one such instance of medical identity theft. It may also tamper with information in your medical records, such as information on diagnoses and medications, leaving you with unpaid medical expenses.
The consumer privacy lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. help customers affected by data and security breaches pursue legal solutions by offering free consultations. By explaining your rights in clear, concise terms, we help you make an informed decision about your next steps. If you are a victim of the Lawrence General Hospital data breach, Console & Associates, P.C. will investigate at no charge to you and offer advice on how to proceed. If you decide to pursue a case, rest assured that we don’t get paid unless you do. If your claim is successful, legal fees are either paid out of the funds recovered or by the defendant. If your claim is not successful, you pay nothing.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.
