Mohawk Valley Cardiology Data Breach
NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from Mohawk Valley Cardiology, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.
On November 4, 2024, Mohawk Valley Cardiology, P.C. (“MVC”) reported a significant cybersecurity incident to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MVC confirmed that an unauthorized party accessed individuals’ private and sensitive personal information stored in MVC’s system (the “Data Breach”). The Data Breach has impacted approximately 4,973 individuals.
Recently, MVC began sending data breach notification letters to those affected by the Data Breach. If you received a data breach notification letter from MVC, it indicates that you were affected by the Data Breach.
Mohawk Valley Cardiology, P.C. is a medical practice located in Utica, New York, specializing in cardiac care. They offer a wide range of procedures and tests, including heart catheterization, angioplasty, peripheral vascular studies, EKG, echocardiograms, stress echo testing, nuclear stress testing, Holter and event monitoring, and pacemaker and ICD clinics. They are affiliated with St. Joseph’s Hospital and serve a diverse patient base in the greater Mohawk Valley area.
WHAT INFORMATION IS INVOLVED IN THE MOHAWK VALLEY CARDIOLOGY DATA BREACH?
As the Data Breach was only recently announced, MVC has only disclosed very limited information so far. We are closely monitoring the ongoing investigation, and more details are expected to emerge as the company is required to notify all impacted individuals.
Typically, the confidential information compromised in such cybersecurity incidents involves your name, date of birth, Social Security number, government-issued ID number, financial information, as well as health insurance information and medical information.
This information is called your Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”). It tells others about you and is considered part of your identity. Businesses are required to secure this information or risk facing statutory penalties, among other legal penalties. Stolen PII can be used by identity thieves to engage in fraudulent activity using your identity.
Personal medical information (a specific type of PII) is referred to as Protected Health Information (“PHI”). It is protected under both state and federal law. Healthcare providers and other businesses who handle PHI are required to protect that information. Like stolen PII, stolen PHI can be used by identity thieves to engage in fraudulent activity using your identity. Quite often, PII and PHI are used in conjunction by hackers.
The best way to protect yourself after a data breach is to sign up for credit and identity protection services as soon as possible.
California offers extra protections and legal rights to its residents through the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”).
NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from Mohawk Valley Cardiology, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.