Dates of birth, addresses, social security numbers have been accessed

Jun 24, 2014 19:21 GMT  ·  By

A NRAD radiologist accessed without authorization the files of 97,000 patients, containing personally identifying information, including social security numbers.

The employee, who was reported to the authorities, managed to breach the security systems protecting the company’s billing and data information and access records and details about the patients’ health.

According to the investigation initiated as a result of the incident, it appears that the files contained dates of birth, addresses, social security numbers, health insurance information, diagnosis and procedure codes.

In a letter to the affected parties, the company notes that it has no knowledge of financial information having been accessed or that the details in the files have been disclosed or used by a third party.

The number of patient files the radiologist had access to represents 12% of the more than 800,000 patients treated in the last 20 years.

When the breach was discovered, on or about April 24, security measures were immediately upgraded to new standards.

NRAD offered the affected individuals free credit inquiry service from three major credit bureaus that can be contacted if signs of credit card fraud are noticed.

Although this incident may be considered of low risk, social security numbers are a valuable asset for cybercriminals, as they can use them to commit identity theft and fraud.