Security breach at Mass. hospital may have exposed data of hundreds of thousands of patients

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — A security breach at a Massachusetts hospital may have exposed the data of hundreds of thousands of patients, officials warned.

In an online notice announcing the data breach, Newburyport’s Anna Jaques Hospital said the impacted information “varies per individual,” but includes demographic information, medical information, health insurance information, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial information, and other personal or health information provided to the healthcare facility.

Anna Jaques, which is part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, said it learned that some of its systems were affected by the breach on Christmas 2023.

Following a lengthy forensic investigation and manual document review, Anna Jaques on Friday notified individuals whose information may have been impacted as a result of the incident.

While the hospital noted that it has no indication that there has been any fraud as a result of the security incident, patients and employees are urged to monitor their financial accounts.

“Anna Jaques reminds its employees and patients to remain vigilant in reviewing financial account statements on a regular basis for any fraudulent activity,” the notice stated. “Anna Jaques also recommends that its patients review the explanation of benefits statements that they receive from their health insurance providers and follow up on any items not recognized.”

Edelson Lechtzin LLP, a law firm investigating claims regarding data privacy violations by Anna Jaques, said in a news release that up to 316,342 individuals may have been affected.

Anna Jaques serves the Merrimack Valley, North Shore, and Southern New Hampshire areas.

Anna Jaques said it is taking measures to augment its existing cybersecurity.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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