Data breach exposes MGH patient information

BOSTON — Massachusetts General Hospital says many of its dental patients may have had their personal information exposed in a recent data breach.

Patterson Dental Supply Inc. is the third-party vendor that provides software that helps manage dental practice information MGH.

On Feb. 8, 2016, MGH said it learned that an unauthorized individual gained access to electronic files used on PDSI’s systems, which contained some MGH dental practice information.

PDSI reported the incident to law enforcement. Thereafter, law enforcement investigators required that any notification to potentially affected individuals and any public announcement of the incident should be withheld while they were conducting their investigation.

On May 26, 2016, law enforcement gave MGH permission to notify affected patients.

MGH has determined that the affected files included patient name, date of birth and Social Security number and, in some instances, may have also included date and type of dental appointment, dental provider name and medical record number.

This incident did not involve any unauthorized access to any of MGH’s systems or to any files maintained by MGH.

MGH says to help prevent this type of incident from happening again, PDSI took steps to enhance the security of its systems that maintain dental practice data.

We began mailing letters to affected individuals Wednesday and we have established a dedicated call center to answer any questions they may have.

If you believe you may be affected and have not received a letter by July 14, or if you have additional questions, call (877) 223-3764, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST (closed on U.S. observed holidays) and provide reference number 5211062216 when calling.

Cox Media Group