Pediatric Dental Office Experiences a Data Breach

Acadia Health, doing business as Just Kids Dental, filed a notice of a data breach with the Attorney General of Maine on September 1, 2023. Evidently, an unauthorized party accessed patient information, including:

• Patient names
• Social security numbers
• Addresses
• Email addresses
• Telephone numbers
• Birth dates
• Driver’s license numbers
• Health insurance policy information
• Dental treatment
  • Radiographs
  • Medical record numbers
  • Account numbers, and
  • Health conditions

The dental practice sent out data breach notification letters to those affected by the security incident. Over 129,000 patients and employees were impacted.

Cause of the Data Breach

How did this happen? The pediatric office was targeted in a cyberattack. Hackers encrypted the computer networks, including any data stored on the system, such as patient and employee files.

Legal Response to the Breach

It’s very unfortunate to report that we noted one law firm “inviting” victims of the breach to participate in a class action lawsuit against Acadia Health if they have experienced any fraud or identity theft since August 1, 2023.

Mitigating the Risk of Cyberattacks

None of us are immune from a cyberattack. We can only mitigate risk through compliance with recognized security practices (RSPs), compliance with HIPAA, and working with a competent IT group. If you need assistance with your HIPAA Security Risk Assessment, contact us.