Turke & Strauss LLP, a leading data breach law firm, is investigating Harris County Hospital District d/b/a Harris Health System regarding its recent data breach. The Harris Health System data breach involved sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information belonging to over 229,000 individuals.
ABOUT HARRIS COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT D/B/A HARRIS HEALTH SYSTEM:
Harris Health System is a fully integrated healthcare system serving the residents of Harris County, Texas. Included in Harris Health System are community health centers, same day clinics, three multi-specialty clinic locations, mobile health units, and two full-service hospitals. As a teaching system for Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Harris Health Systems helps train the next generation of providers. Through partnerships with these schools, Harris Health System also has access to new medical research, technology, and techniques. As a National Committee for Quality Assurance accredited healthcare institution, Harris Health System is one of the largest systems in the country to be designated as a Patient-Centered Medical Home.
WHAT HAPPENED?
On June 2, 2023, Harris Health System discovered that it had experienced a data breach in which the sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information in its systems may have been accessed. Through its investigation, Harris Health System determined that an unauthorized actor may have accessed this sensitive information through a vulnerability in the MOVEit file sharing platform used by Harris Health System on May 28, 2023. Recently, Harris Health System posted a notice of the security incident on its website. On July 21, 2023, Harris Health System began contacting individuals whose information may have been impacted. The type of information exposed includes:
- Name
- Social Security number
- Address
- Date of birth
- Medical record number
- Immigration status
- Driver’s license number
- Health insurance information
- Patient records (e.g., procedure information, diagnosis, medications)
If you received a breach notification letter from Harris Health System:
We would like to speak with you about your rights and potential legal remedies in response to this data breach. Please fill out the form, below, or contact us at (608) 237-1775 or sam@turkestrauss.com.
If you were impacted by the Harris Health System data breach, you may consider taking the following steps to protect your personal information.
- Carefully review any breach notice and retain a copy;
- Enroll in any free credit monitoring services provided by Harris County Hospital District d/b/a Harris Health System;
- Change passwords and security questions for online accounts;
- Regularly review account statements for signs of fraud or unauthorized activity;
- Monitor credit reports for signs of identity theft; and
- Contact a credit bureau(s) to request a temporary fraud alert.