Server security incident could impact 134,512 individuals

St. Peter’s Surgery & Endoscopy Center notified patients that their protected health information (PHI) may have been impacted in January during a breach when an unauthorized third-party accessed their servers. Letters notifying patients were mailed out on February 28, reported St. Peter’s Surgery & Endoscopy Center in a statement.

The Center began its investigation into the security breach after discovering that a third-party  gained access to the serveron January 8. While it remains unknown whether  the third-party successfully accessed PHI, the information comprised included patients’ names, dates of birth, addresses, dates of service, diagnosis codes, procedure codes, insurance information, and Medicare information. Social security numbers were disclosed for patients with Medicare.

The security incident only impacted St. Peter’s Surgery & Endoscopy Center. Servers at St. Peter’s Hospital and Albany Gastroenterology Consultants were not affected.

In the aftermath of the security incident, the Center will be investigating the purchase of additional virus protection and anti-fraud software as well as increasing staff training. Medicare patients will be offered one year of free credit monitoring, and the Center advises patients to regularly check statements they receive from their health insurers.

For more information, call St. Peter’s Surgery & Endoscopy Center at 1-888-604-3385, Monday through Friday between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm Eastern Time.