McAllen Surgical Specialty Center, Ltd. provides data privacy event notice

MALLEN, Texas, 22 October 2021 / PRNewswire / – McAllen Surgical Specialty Center, Ltd. (“McAllen Surgical”) reports an incident that may affect the confidentiality of information of certain employees and patients to whom it has provided medical care. While McAllen Surgical is not aware of any actual use or attempted abuse of this information, McAllen Surgical takes this incident very seriously and is providing information about the incident, their response, and the resources available to individuals to assist. to protect their information, if they feel it appropriate to do so.

What happened? At May 14, 2021, McAllen Surgical discovered encrypted files on one of its servers. McAllen Surgical immediately initiated an investigation, with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists, to determine the nature and extent of the activity. McAllen Surgical’s investigation determined that an unauthorized actor gained access to certain computers and servers between May 12, 2021 and May 14, 2021. McAllen Surgical then worked diligently to identify the affected computers, the information stored on those computers, and to whom the information on those computers pertains. At July 22, 2021, as part of the investigation, McAllen Surgical determined that it was unable to rule out whether computers or servers with patient information had been accessed. Therefore, although McAllen Surgical has no indication that patient information was actually accessed or taken, they are advising with great caution as sensitive information was present on the network at the time of the unauthorized access. .

What information was involved? McAllen Surgical performed an in-depth review of the relevant systems to identify the types of information stored in them and to whom it relates. McAllen Surgical’s review determined that sensitive information was present in the affected systems and it is possible that this information could have been viewed or acquired by an unauthorized actor. Although the specific data elements vary for each potentially affected person, the scope of information potentially involved includes: name; address; Social Security number; information on health insurance; Date of service; Name of supplier; medical file number; and the patient number.

How will people know if they are affected by this incident? McAllen Surgical sends notification letters to people identified as affected. If someone hasn’t received a letter but wants to know if they are affected, they can call the McAllen Surgical dedicated hotline, detailed below.

What McAllen Surgical does. McAllen Surgical takes the confidentiality, confidentiality and security of the information in its care seriously. Upon discovery, McAllen Surgical immediately opened an investigation to confirm the nature and extent of the incident. In response to this incident, McAllen Surgical is reviewing and improving existing policies and procedures.

Who should individuals contact for more information? If anyone has questions or would like additional information, they can call the McAllen Surgical dedicated hotline at 866-581-1076. between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. central time, From Monday to Friday.

What can you do? McAllen Surgical encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, review account statements and explanation of benefit forms, and monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity and detect Errors. Under US law, individuals are entitled to one free credit report each year from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll free 1-877-322-8228. Individuals can also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit report, place a fraud alert, or place a security freeze. The contact details of the credit bureaus are below:

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert†on a credit file at no charge. An initial fraud alert is a one-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit report. When seeing a fraud alert appear on a consumer’s credit report, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before granting new credit. If you are the victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert that lasts for seven years. If you would like to place a fraud alert, please contact one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

Instead of a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prevent a credit bureau from disclosing information in the credit report without authorization. express of the consumer. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans and services from being approved on your behalf without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to control who has access to personal and financial information on your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prevent the timely approval of any request or subsequent request that you. made regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Under federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Full name (including the initial of the middle name as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of Birth;
4. Addresses from the previous two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or phone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government issued ID card (driver’s license or ID card, military ID, etc.); and
7. A copy of the police report, investigation report, or complaint filed with a law enforcement agency regarding identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

If you would like to place a fraud alert or a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit bureaus listed below:

Additional information

You can learn more about identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting consumer information bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or the attorney general of your state. The Federal Trade Commission can be contacted at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-VOL (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to make such a complaint by using the contact details given above. You have the right to file a police report if you are the victim of identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide proof that you have been a victim. Known or suspected cases of identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state’s attorney general. This notice was not delayed by the police.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina The Attorney General can be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For New Mexico residents, you have rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be informed if information in your credit report has been used against you, the right to know what is on your credit report, the right to ask for your credit score; and the right to challenge incomplete or inaccurate information. In addition, according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumer information bureaus must correct or delete information that is inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable; consumer news agencies cannot report negative information that is out of date; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you can limit the “pre-selected†credit and insurance offers you get based on the information in your credit report; and you can claim damages from the offender. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act which are not summarized here. Victims of identity theft and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage you to review your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing to the Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20580.

For new York residents, the new York The Attorney General can be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, New York State 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; Where https://ag.ny.gov/People can learn more about identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and what to do to protect their information by contacting the Federal Trade Commission. Known or suspected cases of identity theft should be reported to law enforcement and the state attorney general.

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SOURCE McAllen Surgical Specialty Center, Ltd.