Beaumont Health beaumont.org

Beaumont Health data breach 2021: what happened and what to do

Beaumont Health, a Michigan health system, reported that a business associate was hit by a cyberattack affecting 1,568 patients. Names, addresses, birthdates, diagnoses and treatment information were exposed. Beaumont identified the affected patients on June 28, 2021.

View all 13,177 breaches
Breach date
28 Jun 2021
Affected
1,568
Data exposed
Names, Addresses, Dates of birth, Diagnoses, Treatment information
Last updated

Reviewed by Anthon Wansland

Head of Product & Co-Founder

Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.

What happened

Beaumont Health, a Michigan health system, reported to HHS that one of its business associates was the victim of a cyberattack. HIPAA Journal and Health IT Security report that the vendor was its law firm, whose Accellion file transfer software was compromised. The firm notified Beaumont in February 2021, and on June 28, 2021 Beaumont's own analysis found that the affected files held patient health information.

The breach involves 1,568 patients. The law firm began mailing notification letters on Beaumont's behalf on August 27, 2021.

Sources checked: ocrportal.hhs.gov, hipaajournal.com, techtarget.com

Last verified against the official page:

How we research this Report an error

What was exposed

HHS lists names, addresses, birthdates, diagnoses and other treatment information. HIPAA Journal adds procedure names, physician names, medical record numbers and dates of service. Beaumont said no patient financial information was affected.

No Social Security numbers or financial details are listed, so the main risk is scams that use real medical details. A message that names your doctor or procedure sounds legitimate, which is why it works.

The company's response

Beaumont notified HHS while its business associate notified patients and the media, and provided substitute notice. Beaumont also ran its own analysis of the affected files before the letters went out.

What to do if you were in it

  1. 1

    Be wary of messages that mention the breach

    Scammers use real details to sound credible. Don't click links or call numbers in unexpected texts, emails or calls about your care, a procedure or the breach. Go to the organization's own website instead. If you spot a scam, report it at IdentityTheft.gov.

  2. 2

    Read your insurance and medical statements

    Check the statements from your health insurer and your providers. Report treatment, claims or bills you don't recognize to the insurer, since someone may be using your details to get care.

  3. 3

    Ask Beaumont about your records

    If your letter lists details you're unsure about, call the number in it and ask what was involved. You can also ask for an accounting of disclosures of your health information.

  4. 4

    Check whether your email or phone is in other breaches

    Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your details show up. Run a free scan to see where you stand. Our guide to what to do after a data breach covers the rest.

Official filings

Timeline

  1. Reported to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

  2. The breach happened

  3. Reported to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Frequently asked

Was I affected by the Beaumont Health breach?

HHS lists 1,568 people. Notification letters were mailed starting August 27, 2021. If you were a Beaumont patient and aren't sure, call the number in the notice.

Was this a Beaumont system hack?

No. Reporting says the data was taken from Beaumont's law firm through its Accellion file transfer software, not from Beaumont's own systems.

Do I need a credit freeze?

The data listed doesn't include Social Security or financial numbers. A freeze is free and the FTC describes it as a good precaution, but it is not required by what was exposed here.

Sources

Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.

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