On April 27, 2024, Inland Physicians Billing Services (“Inland”) filed a notice of data breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights after discovering that confidential information that had been entrusted to the company was subject to unauthorized access. In this notice, Inland Physicians Billing explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information. Upon completing its investigation, Inland Physicians Billing began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.
If you receive a data breach notification from Inland Physicians Billing Services, 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 following the Inland Physicians Billing Services data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What Caused the Inland Physicians Billing Services Data Breach?
The Inland Physicians Billing Services data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. Unfortunately, Inland Physicians Billing’s filing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights provides only very limited information on what led up to the breach and the company has yet to issue a press release or website notice discussing the incident.
According to Inland’s HHS-OIG filing, the incident stemmed from a “hacking / IT incident” targeting a network server. However, while it is possible that the breach involved Inland’s computer network, it is also possible that Inland is reporting the incident on behalf of a third-party vendor.
Regardless, after learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Inland Physicians Billing Services reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. While Inland hasn’t confirmed the exact data types that were subject to unauthorized access, only those breaches that involve the Protected Health Information of more than 500 consumers must be submitted to the HHS-OIG. Thus, even in the absence of information, it is likely the incident involved consumers Protected Health Information.
If it hasn’t already, Inland Physicians Billing Services will soon be sending out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.
More Information About Inland Physicians Billing Services
Inland Physicians Billing Services is a healthcare clearinghouse based in Hemet, California. As a healthcare clearinghouse, Inland Physicians Billing Services serves as a middleman between healthcare providers and insurance payers, electronically transmitting medical claims data to insurance carriers.
