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This notice is from Abrazo Medical Group. We provide medical services at our locations in Arizona below. This event may have involved your information.

What happened?

On April 5, 2024, we became aware that an unauthorized third party was able to access information in certain business email accounts. In response to this discovery, user credentials were immediately changed and secured, and steps were taken to restrict further unauthorized activity.  In parallel, an investigation of the incident was immediately launched, and a national forensic firm was engaged by our outside counsel to assist with investigation and data review efforts. Through this investigation, it was determined that an unauthorized third party was able to access certain business email accounts that contained protected health information between March 23, 2024 and April 3, 2024.

Based on the comprehensive data analysis that was performed, on June 5, 2024, we were able to determine what information was affected and to whom the information related. We are not aware of any actual or attempted misuse of your protected health information as a result of this event. However, we are notifying you because your protected health information may have been included in one or more of the impacted business email accounts.

What information may have been involved?

Based on the review, the protected health information involved in this incident may have included one or more of the following elements: (1) demographic information to identify and contact you, such as full name and date of birth; (2) driver’s license or state ID number; (3) health insurance information, such as name of insurer/government payor, policy and/or group number; (4) medical information, such as medical record number, provider and facility names, chief complaint or reason for visit, and other visit, procedure and diagnosis and medication information; and (5) billing and claims information, such as account and/or claim status, billing and diagnostic codes, and payor information.  Please note that not all data elements were involved for all individuals.  Your social security number, credit and debit card information, bank account information and account passwords were not involved in this incident.

What we are doing:

We take the security of personal information seriously.  As soon as the incident was discovered, we immediately launched a forensic investigation, and we took steps to mitigate and remediate the incident and to help prevent further unauthorized activity.  In response to this incident, credential security and verification procedures have been strengthened, security and monitoring capabilities are being enhanced, and systems are being hardened as appropriate to minimize the risk of similar incidents in the future.

What you can do:

We are providing the enclosed Reference Guide, which includes additional information on general steps you can take to monitor and help protect your personal information.  Please review the enclosed Reference Guide.  We also encourage you to carefully review statements sent from healthcare providers and insurance companies to ensure that all of your account activity is valid.  Any questionable charges should be promptly reported to the provider or company with which you maintain the account.

For more information:

If you have any questions about this matter or would like additional information (including which types of your data may have been involved), please call toll-free 1-800-939-4170.  This call center is open from 9 am – 9 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except holidays.

We deeply regret any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause you and want to assure you that we take this matter seriously.

REFERENCE GUIDE

Review Your Account Statements

Carefully review statements sent to you from your healthcare providers, insurance company, and financial institutions to ensure that all of your account activity is valid.  Report any questionable charges promptly to the provider or company with which you maintain the account.

Provide Any Updated Personal Information to Your Health Care Provider

Your health care provider’s office may ask to see a photo ID to verify your identity.  Please bring a photo ID with you to every appointment if possible.  Your provider’s office may also ask you to confirm your date of birth, address, telephone, and other pertinent information so that they can make sure that all of your information is up-to-date.  Please be sure and tell your provider’s office when there are any changes to your information.  Carefully reviewing this information with your provider’s office at each visit can help to avoid problems and to address them quickly should there be any discrepancies.

Order Your Free Credit Report

To order your free annual credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com, call toll-free at (877) 322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) website at www.ftc.gov and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.  The three credit bureaus provide free annual credit reports only through the website, toll-free number or request form.

Upon receiving your credit report, review it carefully.  Look for accounts you did not open.  Look in the “inquiries” section for names of creditors from whom you have not requested credit.  Some companies bill under names other than their store or commercial names; the credit bureau will be able to tell if this is the case.  Look in the “personal information” section for any inaccuracies in information (such as home address and Social Security Number).

If you see anything you do not understand, call the credit bureau at the telephone number on the report.  Errors may be a warning sign of possible identity theft.  You should notify the credit bureaus of any inaccuracies in your report, whether due to error or fraud, as soon as possible so the information can be investigated and, if found to be in error, corrected.  If there are accounts or charges you did not authorize, immediately notify the appropriate credit bureau by telephone and in writing.  Information that cannot be explained should also be reported to your local police or sheriff’s office because it may signal criminal activity.

Contact the U.S. Federal Trade Commission

If you detect any unauthorized transactions in any of your financial accounts, promptly notify the appropriate payment card company or financial institution.  If you detect any incidents of identity theft or fraud, promptly report the matter to your local law enforcement authorities, state Attorney General and the FTC.

You can contact the FTC to learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft by using the following contact information: Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580; 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338); www.ftc.gov/idtheft/.

Place a Fraud Alert on Your Credit File

To protect yourself from possible identity theft, consider placing a fraud alert on your credit file.  A fraud alert helps protect against the possibility of an identity thief opening new credit accounts in your name.  When a credit grantor checks the credit history of someone applying for credit, the credit grantor gets a notice that the applicant may be the victim of identity theft.  The alert notifies the credit grantor to take steps to verify the identity of the applicant.  You can place a fraud alert on your credit report by calling any one of the toll-free fraud numbers provided below.  You will reach an automated telephone system that allows flagging of your file with a fraud alert at all three credit bureaus.

Security Freezes

You have the right to request a credit freeze from a consumer reporting agency, free of charge, so that no new credit can be opened in your name without the use of a PIN number that is issued to you when you initiate a freeze.  A security freeze is designed to prevent potential credit grantors from accessing your credit report without your consent.  If you place a security freeze, potential creditors and other third parties will not be able to get access to your credit report unless you temporarily lift the freeze.  Therefore, using a security freeze may delay your ability to obtain credit.

Unlike a fraud alert, you must separately place a security freeze on your credit file at each credit bureau. To place a security freeze on your credit report you must contact the credit reporting agency by phone, mail, or secure electronic means and provide proper identification of your identity.  The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a security freeze for your spouse, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security number; (3) date of birth; (4) current address and any previous addresses for the past five years; and (5) any applicable incident report or complaint with a law enforcement agency or the Registry of Motor Vehicles.  The request must also include a copy of a government-issued identification card and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue.

Below, please find relevant contact information for the three consumer reporting agencies:

Once you have submitted your request, the credit reporting agency must place the security freeze no later than 1 business day after receiving a request by phone or secure electronic means, and no later than 3 business days after receiving a request by mail.  No later than five business days after placing the security freeze, the credit reporting agency will send you confirmation and information on how you can remove the freeze in the future.