Access Telecare Data Breach Exposes Patients to Identity Theft Featured
Lawsuit alleges Access Telecare was negligent in its failure to protect patient data as required by law.
A class action lawsuit was recently filed against Texas based telemedicine provider Access Telecare after it recently announced it had experienced a data breach back in November 2023 that resulted in the theft of sensitive patient data.
About Access Telecare
Access TeleCare is a telemedicine provider that delivers virtual healthcare services to hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company partners with healthcare organizations to enhance patient care, optimize resource utilization, and expand access to specialty care. Access TeleCare specializes in a wide range of services, including neurology, cardiology, psychiatry, infectious disease, and critical care. The company employs approximately 500 people and generates an estimated $73 million in annual revenue.
What Happened?
The Access TeleCare data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Access TeleCare’s filing with the Attorney General of California provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on January 8, 2024, Access TeleCare discovered suspicious activity within an employee’s email account. In response, Access TeleCare disabled the affected account and then launched an investigation to learn more about the incident and determine what—if any—consumer information may have been compromised as a result.
Through its investigation, Access TeleCare confirmed that certain company email accounts were accessible to an unauthorized party between November 6, 2023 and January 8, 2024. During this time, the unauthorized party had access to emails and attachments containing confidential patient information.
What Information was Stolen?
While the information impacted varies depending on the individual, the type of information potentially exposed includes:
- Name
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Medical record number
- Patient account number or patient identification number
- Medical information
- Clinical information
- Provider location
- Provider name
On December 23, 2024, Access TeleCare began mailing data breach notification letters to impacted individuals.
What is Access Telecare Doing to Protect My Identity?
Based on the Breach Notices provided to California residents, Access TeleCare is providing affected individuals with a list of the information impacted and 12 months of complimentary identity monitoring services.
What Can Hackers Do With My Information?
Stolen PII and PHI can be used to commit identity theft, open new credit accounts, make unauthorized purchases or obtain loans. Cybercriminals have recently targeted America’s essential industries and in so doing have forced millions of Americans to face the fallout from these attacks.
Leaked or stolen data can be sold on the dark web forums and may be used for fraud and medical identity theft, a type of fraud, where threat actors use stolen information to submit forged claims to insurers.
Clients affected by the breach are exposed to a heightened and imminent risk of fraud and identity theft. They must now and in the future closely monitor their financial accounts to guard against identity theft and fraud.
If you receive a data breach notification from Access Telecare it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options at no cost to you. For more information, please review these recommendations.
Protect Your Identity. Join the Access Telecare Data Breach Class Action.
The lawsuit alleges that Access Telecare breached its duties under common law and the Federal Trade Commission Act to implement reasonable security measures, comply with industry standards and federal data-security regulations, encrypt sensitive data, and provide adequate and timely notice of the breach.
If you receive a notification letter from Access Telecare, you are at permanent risk of identity theft and the devastating financial and legal consequences that go along with it.
You may be eligible to participate in a class action lawsuit to recover compensation for loss of privacy, time spent dealing with the breach, out-of-pocket costs, and more.
The lawsuit looks to cover anyone in the USA whose private information was compromised by the breach announced by Access Telecare on December 23rd, 2024.
Please complete the form shown on this page and a data breach attorney will contact you. There is no cost to you.