On June 21, 2023, Palomar Health filed a notice of data breach with the California Attorney General’s Office after being informed that a cybersecurity incident at PharMerica compromised confidential information belonging to Palomar patients. Based on the company’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to patients’ names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, medications and health insurance information. After confirming that patient data was leaked, Palomar began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals who were impacted by the recent data security incident.
If you received a data breach notification from Palomar Health, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. As we’ve discussed in similar posts, healthcare data breaches present all the risks of any other data breach and more. For example, hackers may sell stolen healthcare information to another criminal, who can then use it to obtain care in a victim’s name. This can not only result in victims experiencing financial harm but may also result in inaccurate information being included in a victim’s medical record. To learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft and what your legal options are in the wake of the Palomar Health data breach, speak with a data breach lawyer.
What We Know So Far About the Palomar Health Breach
News of the Palomar Health data breach is still fresh; however, what we know at this point comes from the company’s filing with the California Attorney General’s Office. According to this source, PharMerica is a company that provides services to Palomar Health. To perform these services, Palomar provides PharMerica with patient information.
Recently, PharMerica informed Palomar that an unknown third party accessed PharMerica’s computer system, where they were able to access confidential patient information. While PharMerica learned of the incident on March 13, 2023, it is not clear when it notified Palomar about the breach. Evidently, the breach affected the personal information of those who received services at Palomar Continuing Care Center in Escondido or The Villas at Poway between 2001-2020.
Upon discovering that sensitive patient data was made available to an unauthorized party, PharMerica began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which Palomar Health patients were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, medications and health insurance information.
On June 21, 2023, Palomar Health sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident. In this letter, Palomar notes that PharMerica previously sent out data breach notices to those affected by the breach.
More Information About Palomar Health
Formed in 1948, Palomar Health is a healthcare district serving San Diego and the surrounding areas. Palomar operates two large health centers, Palomar Health Center in Escondido and Palomar Health Center in Poway. Palomar also operates a number of laboratories, outpatient health centers, specialty care centers, urgent care facilities, skilled nursing facilities and other practices. Palomar Health employs more than 3,683 people and generates approximately $540 million in annual revenue.
