MedStar Health reports data breach caused by breach of email accounts

MedStar Health is reporting data breach of patient data, caused by unauthorized access to three employee email accounts. MedStar Health is based in Columbia, Maryland, in the United States. They operate various hospitals and healthcare facilities across the Maryland and Washington, D.C. regions

The breach occurred between January 25, 2023, and October 18, 2023, and was confirmed through forensic analysis on March 6, 2024. Patient data was present in the compromised emails and files, including:

• Patient names
• Mailing addresses
• Dates of birth
• Date(s) of service
• Provider names
• Health insurance information

The data of a total of 183,079 patients was compromised.

Although there's no indication that patient information was accessed or misused, MedStar Health cannot fully rule out the possibility. As a precaution, they recommend patients monitor healthcare statements closely for any discrepancies and report unusual activity to the relevant healthcare provider or insurance company immediately.