On January 18, 2024, Community Memorial Healthcare (“CMH”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Montana after discovering that an unauthorized party had accessed the company’s IT network. In this notice, CMH explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access patients’ sensitive information, which includes their names, addresses, Social Security numbers and medical information. Upon completing its investigation, CMH began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you received a data breach notification from Community Memorial Healthcare, 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 Community Memorial Healthcare data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Community Memorial Healthcare Data Breach?

The Community Memorial Healthcare data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, CMH’s filing with the Attorney General of Montana provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on October 18, 2023, CMH detected and stopped a network security incident involving an unauthorized party attempting to disable portions of the company’s computer network.

In response, CMH began working with third-party cybersecurity specialists to investigate the incident and determine what, if any, patient information was affected.

On December 29, 2023, the CMH investigation determined that an unauthorized party gained access to its IT network and may have also gained access to confidential patient information.

After learning that sensitive patient data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Community Memorial Healthcare reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which patients were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, address, Social Security number and medical information. CMH notes that its electronic medical record system was not affected by the breach.

On January 18, 2024, Community Memorial Healthcare sent 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 Community Memorial Healthcare

Founded in 1958, Community Memorial Healthcare is a healthcare services provider located in Marysville, Kansas. CMH provides patients with a wide range of services, including prevention, diagnosis, inpatient and outpatient treatment, rehabilitation, transitional care, home health, wellness and education. CMH operates three clinics in Kansas: Blue Rapids Medical Clinic, Community Physicians Clinic, and Community Physicians Clinic – Wymore. Community Memorial Healthcare employs more than 166 people and generates approximately $22 million in annual revenue.