On September 15, 2023, Temple University Health System, Inc. (“Temple Health”) filed a notice of data breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights after discovering that information that had been entrusted to the organization was subject to unauthorized access. In this notice, Temple University Health explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information; however, it does not appear that Temple University Health has indicated what data types were compromised. Upon completing its investigation, Temple University Health 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 Temple University Health System, Inc., 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 Temple University Health System data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Temple Health Breach?

The Temple University Health System data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. And unfortunately, Temple University Health’s filing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights provides little information on what led up to the breach. However, according to this source, we know that the incident stemmed from a “Hacking / IT” incident involving a network server. Temple Health’s notice filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights indicates that the incident affected the personal information of an estimated 430,381 people.

Upon learning that confidential information may have been accessed by an unauthorized party, Temple University Health confirmed through an investigation that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party. Temple University Health System reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. Unfortunately, Temple University Health had not posted a publicly available data breach letter at the time of this article’s publication; thus, the leaked data types have not been confirmed.

On September 15, 2023, Temple University Health System provided notice of the breach to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Typically, this is around the time when companies send out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by a breach. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About Temple University Health System, Inc.

Founded in 1994, Temple University Health System, Inc. is an academic health system based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Temple Health consists of Temple University Hospital, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Hospital-Jeanes Campus, TUH-Episcopal Campus, TUH-Northeastern Campus, Temple Faculty Physicians, Temple Physicians, Inc., and Temple Transport Team. Temple University Health System employs more than 10,000 people and generates approximately $165 million in annual revenue.