Northwell Health Data Breach Puts 3.9 Million Patients At Risk Of Identity Theft Featured
Northwell Health and Perry Johnson & Associates have been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit in the wake of a massive 2023 data breach.
Northwell Health, New York’s largest health system, and medical vendor Perry Johnson & Associates have been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit in the wake of a massive 2023 data breach in which the sensitive personal and health information of around 3.9 million Northwell Health patients was accessed by hackers.
Information allegedly compromised in the Northwell Health data breach may have included names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, addresses, medical record numbers, hospital account numbers, admission diagnoses, laboratory and diagnostics testing results, medications, and times and dates of service.
Northwell Health Failed To Adequately Safeguard Patient Data
The lawsuit alleges, Northwell Health and PJ&A failed to adequately safeguard patients’ sensitive information, leaving it vulnerable to cyber-criminals. The defendants did so knowing that data security measures were particularly important given the significant rise in the number of recent data breaches in the healthcare industry.
Perry Johnson & Associates, which offers transcription services to health care groups and doctors for dictating and transcribing patient notes, became aware of the breach on it systems in May 2023, and that Northwell Health patient data was included in the information stolen during the breach. A Northwell spokesperson later confirmed it had been informed of the breach by PJ&A.
Northwell Waits Almost Six Months To Notify Victims of Breach
Despite the data breach taking place in the spring, between March 27th to May 2nd, the defendants failed to notify potential victims until November 3rd, more than six months after they learned about the breach, according to the lawsuit.
As a result of the delay, those individuals affected by the breach have “suffered imminent and impeding injury arising from the present and ongoing risk of fraud, identity theft and misuse” of their sensitive data.
Join the Northwell Health Data Breach Class Action
If you received a notification letter stating that your personal information may have been involved in the data breach, it is important that you learn what you can do to protect your identity.
It is crucial for those impacted by the Northwell Health data breach to stand together, protect their rights, and seek justice. By signing up for the class action, affected individuals can not only seek compensation for the breach but also contribute to the larger cause of reinforcing data security standards across the healthcare industry. To learn more about the class action, please complete the form below.