Hutchinson Clinic
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Clinic, P.A. issued an update earlier this month regarding the data security event that may involve information related to certain patients as well as current or former employees of Hutchinson Clinic. As we continue to work toward notifying impacted patients directly, we are committed to providing updated information about the event, our response, and steps for potentially impacted individuals to take to better protect against the possibility of identity theft and fraud, should they feel it is appropriate to do so. This should serve as an update to the notice we posted on our website earlier this year and does not involve a separate event. Patients received letters this week notifying them of the incident, if they did not know before.
What Happened? On or about December 21, 2022, we became aware of suspicious activity related to certain Hutchinson Clinic computer systems. We immediately launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists to secure our network and to determine the nature and scope of the activity. Through the investigation, it was determined that there was unauthorized access to Hutchinson Clinic’s network between December 19, 2022, and December 21, 2022. The unauthorized actor had the ability to acquire certain information stored on the network during the period of access. Therefore, we undertook a time-intensive and comprehensive review of the at-risk files to identify those current and former patients, and any current and former employees, whose information may have been impacted by this event.
To honor our commitment to maintaining timely and transparent communication with our employees, our patients, and the community, we provided notice of this event on our website while the review was ongoing. The comprehensive review is now complete, and Hutchinson Clinic is working as quickly as possible to mail notice letters to impacted individuals for whom we have valid mailing addresses. This letter will include resources that individuals can reference to further protect their information.
Which Patients / What Information Was Affected? The types of potentially impacted information include name, and contact information, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license number, health insurance information, Medicare or Medicaid number, medical record number (MRN), medical history, diagnosis, prescription information, treatment information, and physician name.
What We Are Doing. We at Hutchinson Clinic take this event and the security of your information seriously. Upon learning of this event, we immediately took steps to secure our network and maintain operations in a safe and secure fashion. As part of our ongoing commitment to the privacy of personal information in our care, we are working to review our existing policies and procedures and to implement additional administrative and technical safeguards to further secure the information on our systems. Notice was also provided to federal law enforcement and to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We remain committed to fully complying with all state and federal requirements and maintaining timely and transparent communication with our employees, our patients and the community.
What Affected Individuals Can Do. Potentially affected current and former patients and employees of Hutchinson Clinic are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements and explanations of benefits for unusual activity and to report any suspicious activity promptly to your insurance company, health care provider, or financial institution. Additional detail can be found below in the Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information and in the notification letters that will be sent to affected individuals.
For More Information. If you have additional questions, please call the dedicated assistance line we have established at 866-674-3487, available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time, excluding major U.S. holidays.
Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information
The Hutchinson Clinic is offering those who received mailed letters from them regarding the incident complimentary access to Experian Identity Works for 12 months. You must enroll by October 31, 2023 and use the link and identification code in your letter.
Monitor your credit reports for suspicious or unauthorized activity. Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.
Place a fraud alert on your credit file. Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a one-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.
Place a security freeze on your credit file. As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:
- Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
- Social Security number;
- Date of birth;
- Addresses for the prior two to five years;
- Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
- A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, military identification, etc.); and
- A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.
Should you wish to place a fraud alert or credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:
Equifax
Experian
TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/
1-888-298-0045
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
https://www.experian.com/help/
1-888-397-3742
Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-800-916-8800
TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094
Additional Information
You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.
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