On June 13, 2024, Heart South Cardiovascular Group (“Heart South”) filed a notice of data breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights after discovering that information in the company’s possession was subject to unauthorized access. In this notice, Heart South explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information. Upon completing its investigation, Heart South 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 Heart South Cardiovascular Group, 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 Heart South Cardiovascular Group data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Heart South Cardiovascular Group Data Breach?

The Heart South Cardiovascular Group data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. Unfortunately, Heart South’s filing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights provides very little information on what led up to the breach.

According to this source, the Heart South data breach stemmed from a “Hacking / IT incident” involving a network server. However, we cannot confirm that the incident targeted Heart South’s IT network, as hackers could have obtained information that Heart South had provided to a third-party vendor.

Regardless, after learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Heart South Cardiovascular Group reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted.

On June 13, 2024, Heart South Cardiovascular Group filed notice of the breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Often, this is around the same time that companies will send out data breach notification letters to inform victims of the breach about what happened. However, the timing for the Heart South data breach could be slightly different. Either way, these should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About Heart South Cardiovascular Group

Heart South Cardiovascular Group is a healthcare services provider based out of Alabaster, Alabama. Heart South focuses on providing patients with cardiac testing and preventive treatment, as well as related services. Heart South treats the full spectrum of cardiological issues, including aortic disease, arrhythmias, congenital heart defects, coronary heart disease, heart attack (myocardial infarction), heart failure, heart valve diseases, high blood pressure, and peripheral vascular conditions and diseases. Heart South Cardiovascular Group employs more than 90 people and generates approximately $16 million in annual revenue.