ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- A Denver area non-profit medical group is asking customers to beware of hackers after the group discovered patient data had been compromised.
“On Monday, December 5th, 2011, Metro Community Provider Network became aware that a hacker potentially accessed the personal health information of some of our patients’ personal health information,” said the Metro Community Provider Network in a statement on its website.
The group believes hackers may have accessed patient names, phone numbers, and medical conditions. It’s not believed that hackers were able to access billing information like credit cards.
“Metro Community Provider Network immediately took action to stop this disclosure and to protect all of our patients’ personal health information from further harm or similar circumstances,” the company added.
Computer safety experts are warning other consumers to beware of hackers targeting medical data as it’s proving to be a valuable gateway for other consumer data. “It's incredibly valuable especially when it's medical information because it's tied to virtually everything," said John Sileo of ThinkLikeaspy.com, a identity theft protection agency.
On its website, MCPN said it’s contacting those customers potentially affected via email. They’re also recommending those who may have been affected to monitor credit scores and contact the Colorado Consumer Protection Agency for more information.
“On Monday, December 5th, 2011, Metro Community Provider Network became aware that a hacker potentially accessed the personal health information of some of our patients’ personal health information,” said the Metro Community Provider Network in a statement on its website.
The group believes hackers may have accessed patient names, phone numbers, and medical conditions. It’s not believed that hackers were able to access billing information like credit cards.
“Metro Community Provider Network immediately took action to stop this disclosure and to protect all of our patients’ personal health information from further harm or similar circumstances,” the company added.
Computer safety experts are warning other consumers to beware of hackers targeting medical data as it’s proving to be a valuable gateway for other consumer data. “It's incredibly valuable especially when it's medical information because it's tied to virtually everything," said John Sileo of ThinkLikeaspy.com, a identity theft protection agency.
On its website, MCPN said it’s contacting those customers potentially affected via email. They’re also recommending those who may have been affected to monitor credit scores and contact the Colorado Consumer Protection Agency for more information.
