On March 24, 2023, Atlantic General Hospital (“AGH”) filed a notice of data breach with the Maine Attorney General after learning that an unauthorized party had encrypted portions of the company’s network, gaining access to confidential patient information. Based on the company’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account information, dates of birth and protected health information, including medical record numbers, treating and referring physicians, health insurance information, subscriber numbers, medical history information, and diagnosis and treatment information. After confirming that consumer data was leaked, AGH began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals who were impacted by the recent data security incident.
If you were recently a patient at Atlantic General Hospital and received a “Notice of Privacy Event” from the company, it is imperative that you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. As we’ve discussed in prior posts, healthcare data breaches put your confidential information in the hands of bad actors who often either use the information they stole to commit identity theft or sell the data to another criminal to do the same. However, as a data breach victim, you have rights, including the right to pursue a data breach lawsuit against any company that negligently leaks your information.
What We Know So Far About the Atlantic General Hospital Breach
The available information regarding the Atlantic General Hospital breach comes from the company’s filing with the Maine Attorney General, as well as a “Notice of Privacy Event” posted on the AGH website. According to these sources, on January 29, 2023, AGH learned that certain files on its computer system had been encrypted. In response, AGH launched an investigation, hoping to learn more about the incident.
The Atlantic General Hospital investigation confirmed that on January 20, 2023, an unauthorized party was able to access servers on the AGH network. It was later determined that some of the files that were accessible to the unauthorized party contained confidential patient information.
Upon discovering that sensitive consumer data was made available to an unauthorized party, Atlantic General Hospital began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, Social Security number, driver’s license number, financial account information, date of birth, medical record number, treating/referring physician, health insurance information, subscriber number, medical history information, diagnosis/treatment information.
On March 24, 2023, Atlantic General Hospital sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.
More Information About Atlantic General Hospital
Founded in 1993, Atlantic General Hospital is a hospital located in Berlin, Maryland. Atlantic General Hospital serves residents of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset and Sussex Counties, providing them with a wide range of services. AGH also operates more than 30 other locations, specializing in primary care, women’s health and pediatrics. Atlantic General Hospital employs more than 940 people and generates approximately $138 million in annual revenue.
