Press Release: Statement on Cyber Incident Regarding Florida Heart Associates
Fort Myers, Florida, July 14, 2021—On or about May 19, 2021, Florida Heart Associates (“FHA”) became aware of unusual activity within select computers in our network environment. We immediately engaged a team of experts and law enforcement to mitigate the effects of the incident, secure personal information, restore IT functions, and protect FHA’s servers from future incidents.
Our investigation revealed that malicious actors may have gained access to our network between May 9 and 19, 2021. FHA security systems diminished the impact of the intrusion; however, an unknown actor still gained access to company servers and may have obtained information within. To date, we have not received any indication that patient information has been misused by an unauthorized individual. It is possible that our patients’ Social Security number, member identification number, date of birth, and health insurance information may have been seen or accessed. This information is called personal information or protected health information
We take the confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in our care seriously. Upon discovery, we immediately reported the incident to law enforcement and commenced an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. While investigation remains ongoing, we are taking steps now to implement additional safeguards and review policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security.
FHA has implemented additional security measures designed to prevent a reoccurrence of such incidents, and to protect the privacy of our patients. Among other steps taken, we have installed an endpoint detection and response tool, strengthened our system’s architecture, and implemented stronger policies to prevent future attacks.
We encourage our patients to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review their account statements, and to monitor their credit reports for suspicious activity. Should you have additional questions, please contact the call center we set up to respond to this event at 1-855-545-1951 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, excluding major US holidays.
